2024 US Presidential Elections: Vivek Ramaswamy announced his Republican presidential bid after a disappointing finish in Iowa, said his spokesperson as quoted by the news agency AFP.
Ramaswamy, 38, endorsed his rival, former President Donald Trump. He has previously called Trump the “best president of the 21st century” even as he tried to convince Republican voters that they should opt for “fresh legs” and “take our America First agenda to the next level.”
The wealthy political outsider also modeled his bid on Trump’s run, campaigning as a fast-talking, headline-grabbing populist who relentlessly needled opponents.
Donald Trump secured a resounding victory in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday, asserting his dominance over the party despite a litany of legal troubles as he seeks a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden, Reuters reported.
“THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Ramaswamy also endorsed Trump as the former US president sought to reclaim the White House in November.
“I looked at every which way, and I think it’s true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight… As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign. There is no path for me to be the next president,” Ramaswamy said as quoted by PTI.
“As I’ve said since the beginning, there are two America First candidates in this race. And earlier tonight I called Donald Trump to tell him that I — congratulate him on his victory, and now going forward, you will have my full endorsement for the presidency,” he added.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished well behind in second place, Edison Research projected, edging out former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as they battle to emerge as the chief alternative to Trump.
With nearly 90% of the expected vote tallied, Trump had 50.9%, while DeSantis was at 21.4% and Haley 19.0%, according to Edison. The largest margin of victory for an Iowa Republican caucus had been 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988.
It was too early to say whether Trump would exceed 50%, a psychological figure that would further weaken his rivals’ argument that his march to the nomination could be derailed, as per Reuters reports.
Both DeSantis and Haley had been aiming for a strong second-place finish to convince donors and supporters that their challenges to Trump remain viable.
Trump has aimed to create an air of inevitability around his campaign, skipping all five of the Republican debates thus far and largely eschewing the county-by-county politicking that most candidates do ahead of the Iowa vote.
