Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his 2024 GOP presidential bid, endorses rival Trump

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DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan 16, (AP): Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Monday and endorsed former US president Donald Trump after finishing a distant fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.
Ramaswamy said he made the decision after determining there was no path forward for him in the race, “absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country.”
The 38-year-old political novice, who sought to replicate Trump’s rise as a bombastic, wealthy outsider, said he called the former president earlier Monday evening to congratulate him on his victory in Iowa. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis came in second, with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley just behind in third.
Ramaswamy told supporters gathered at a Des Moines hotel that Trump “will have my full endorsement for the presidency.”
He added: “And I think we’re going to do the right thing for this country. And so I’m going to ask you to follow me in taking our America First movement to the next level.”
Trump, in his victory speech a few minutes earlier, said Ramaswamy “did a helluva job” in the campaign. Ramaswamy said he would likely appear with Trump in New Hampshire Tuesday night and suggested DeSantis and Haley should “follow suit” in withdrawing from the race.
During the campaign, Ramaswamy needled most of his opponents but praised Trump as “the best president of the 21st century.” He argued, though, that Republicans should opt for “fresh legs” while still supporting the America First agenda.
The approach, including his call for “revolution,” vaulted Ramaswamy into the mix of candidates vying to overtake Trump – or at least become a viable alternative. His decision to drop out, though, becomes the latest confirmation that the former president, even at 77 years old and under multiple criminal indictments, still dominates Republican politics and remains the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination for the third consecutive time.
Ramaswamy said he would be open to vice presidential consideration.

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