It finally happened, you guys, and it took Vivek Ramaswamy long enough to hand Donald Trump some stinging criticism, one involving the former President's massive ego. In this case, we're talking about two narcissists, so this should be interesting. On Wednesday, Ramaswamy described Trump as "wounded," which won't go down well. But it got worse. In trying to sell himself to Trump voters like a cheap suit for a pimp, the entrepreneur said, "They don't have on me what they have on him." Yet. He forgot the word yet.
NBC News reports:
The comments, which Ramaswamy made in a joint interview with NBC News and The Des Moines Register, are part of a complicated balancing act the candidate is trying to strike ahead of the Iowa caucuses: praising Trump and his policies while suggesting he could push them further or implement them better — and also saying that Trump can't win the election because of forces lined up against him, leaving Ramaswamy as the best choice for Trump fans.
"They don't have on me what they have on him," Ramaswamy said when asked why he would fare better than Trump while running against the same "system." "You can just look right now. They've got four different wars they've waged on this man," he added, referring among other things to Trump's indictments and the 14th Amendment challenges to his ballot access in some states.
Ramaswamy, who has pledged to sit out of any primary race in states that are trying to have Trump removed from the ballot, including Maine and Colorado, believes he has "tried my best and gone to the fullest extent I can" to support Trump in his ballot access fight.
"I have deep concerns as an American that this system is going to take him out of contention," he said, adding, "If we open our eyes to reality, I think that there is an unstoppable force attempting to move what they view as an unmovable object."
He's not done.
"In many senses, I support Donald Trump and his legacy as U.S. president," Ramaswamy said when asked how he can attract voters who like Trump. "I respect what his contributions are to this country. But when making the choice of who's going to lead our America First movement to the next level — that's a separate choice.
"I do think we're in the middle of a kind of cold cultural war in this country, between those of us who love the United States of America, and a fringe minority who hates this country and what we stand for," Ramaswamy continued. "And when it comes to selecting a commander in chief, a general, to lead us to victory in that war, I think I'm best positioned to do it — with fresh legs, as a leader who is not yet wounded in that war."
Maybe I was wrong. He is done.
