Vivek Ramaswamy Says 'Deeply Aligned On Policies' With Donald Trump: 'Would Take His Agenda Forward'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, running for the Republican presidential nomination, said that he and former President Donald trump share a deep alignment on policy matters, with over 90 per cent agreement while also acknowledging that there exist“small” differences.Referring to Trump's \"America First\" approach to foreign policy and trade, which centers on reducingtrade deficits and rebalancing burden sharing within alliances, Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old entrepreneur asserted that he and Trump are the only two 'America First' candidates and he can take Trump's agenda even further.Significantly, amidst their vigorcampaign efforts, both Trump and Ramaswamy have been expressing admiration for each other and have appeared to be less inclined to criticize each other's policies.Also Read: Who is Vivek Ramaswamy, the man disrupting the 2024prez raceSpeaking at Fox News, Ramaswamy said,“We have some of our areas of differences, but they're small. By and large, we are the two 'America First' candidates in this race, everybody else embraces the neo-con (neo-conservative) foreign policy view. So, I think we are deeply aligned on policies, 90 pper cent of the way. There are some small differences”.The term \"neocons,\" which typically characterizes hawkish conservatives advocating for military intervention, had its zenith during the presidency of George W. Bush and his circle of advisors. In this context, when Vivek Ramaswamy mentioned \"neocons,\" he seemed to be alluding to his rival Nikki Haley.“I would rescind affirmative action, I would militarise the southern border instead of just building the wall. I would shut down theDepartment of Education, not just put a good person Betsy DeVos on the top to reform it,” he added.Also Read: 2024Presidential Elections: Republican Vivek Ramaswamy hopes for stronger US-India tiesRamaswamy further said that Donald Trump laid a“very good foundation” as the President, and he would take the 'America First' agenda further.“...I would be able to unite this country by leading the next generations of Americans with a vision, of what it means to be an American. Revive national pride in the next generation, where it is lacking. I think we have an opportunity to reunite this country on shared ideals, and that would allow me to take the 'America First' agenda even further than Donald Trump did, by building on a very good foundation that Donald Trump laid,” the Indian American leader said.He added,“And so the fact that I am not running against him, that doesn't mean anything. I am running for this country...I'm gonna leadto national unity, that's my job and I expect to do it as the next President”.The Ohio-based entrepreneur even claimed that he could win the upcoming presidential poll by a“landslide margin”.Also Read:Presidential polls 2024: Indian-American Ramaswamy, a newly minted debate star thinks he can fake itRamaswamy's remarks on Donald Trump come days after the former President heaped praises on the Indian-American candidate and even signalled that would be open to having him as his running mate, stating that \"He would be very good...”.“Well, I think he's great. Look, anybody that said I'm the best president in a generation...I have to like a guy like that,” the New York Post quoted Trump as saying to Blaze TV's Glenn Beck.“He's a smart guy. He's a young guy. He's got a lot of talent. He's a very, very, very intelligent person,” Trump added.“He's got good energy, and he could be in some form of something. I tell you, I think he'd be very good. I think he's really distinguished himself,” the New York Post quoted Trump as saying.However, Trump also posed a word of caution for Ramaswamy, who has stumbled into controversy over his policy prescriptions for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine.“He's starting to get out there a little bit. He's getting a little bit controversial,” Trump said.“I got to tell him: 'Be a little bit careful. Some things you have to hold in just a little bit, right?'” Trump stated, according to the New York Post.Earlier, Ramaswamy had dubbed Trump“the best president of the 21st century” during last week's Republican primary debate and has characterized his candidacy as a bid to take the former president's policies“to the next level.”During his campaign, Ramaswamy has consistently been a strong advocate for former President Trump, particularly in defending him against the four charges brought against him. He even made a promise to pardon Trump on his inaugural day if he were to win the presidency, as reported by the New York Post.Also Read: India is important to reduce the US' dependency on China: Vivek RamaswamyAdditionally, Ramaswamy garnered significant public interest and became one of the most frequently searched 2024 Republican candidates following the debate held at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum.The Indian American entrepreneur has experienced a significant surge in GOP primary polls, reaching a tie with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for the second position. Nevertheless, both candidates still trail far behind former President Donald Trump, who maintains a commanding lead with 56 percent support, according to The Hill.In a separate survey conducted by RealClearPolitics, Trump is firmly leading the 2024 GOP race with 53.6 percent backing, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 13.5 percent, and Ramaswamy with 7.3 percent, as reported by the New York Post.Ramaswamy's bid for the presidency has garnered notice, leading to an increase in his standing within GOP primary polls. Nevertheless, he continues to lag behind both Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in terms of support. It's important to note that the upcoming U.S. presidential election is set for November 5, 2024.(With inputs from ANI)

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