Vivek Ramaswamy quits US presidential race, endorses Donald Trump

Political novice and Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who aimed to disrupt the 2024 presidential race by competing against seasoned candidates, declared on Monday that he is withdrawing from the race and throwing his support behind Donald Trump.

“We are going to suspend this presidential campaign,” AFP quoted Ramaswamy as saying to supporters after he was projected to finish a distant fourth in the Iowa caucuses.

He said that he looked at the results every which way and will stick to the truth tonight which is that his campaign did not achieve the surprise that he wanted to deliver.

“I will stick to the truth tonight. The first hard truth and this was hard for me, I gotta admit this, but we’ve looked at it every which way. And I think it is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight,” CNN quoted him as saying at his campaign’s watch party in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory. And now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency,” he added.

He said he plans to travel to New Hampshire to campaign for Trump on Tuesday ahead of the state’s primary next week.

“Tomorrow we’re likely – I’m going to appear with Donald Trump at a rally in New Hampshire to lay out what I see and what we see for the future of the country,” he said.

At the age of 38, Ramaswamy stood out as the most youthful candidate in the race. He highlighted his youth and limited political background, presenting them as key elements in his broader call for a fresh wave of leadership from a new generation. Frequently, he emphasized the distinctions between himself and older, more establishment-oriented Republicans.

He launched his campaign in February 2023 as a little-known former pharmaceutical executive.