Vivek Ramaswamy stands out at first Republican presidential debate
What's the story
Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a GOP candidate in the 2024 United States (US) presidential race, participated in the first Republican presidential debate on Wednesday (local time). As with most debates, potshots were fired at one another, with Ramaswamy being compared to an "amateur" Barack Obama and a "guy who sounds like ChatGPT' by another Republican candidate. Reportedly, Ramaswamy has been gaining attention in the polls and is ranked second after former US President Donald Trump.
Details
Christie, Pence attack Ramaswamy during debate
According to the news outlet CNN, Ramaswamy called the climate change agenda a hoax, which drew reactions from other candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who labeled him a "rookie." Meanwhile, fellow Republican and presidential candidate Chris Christie attacked Ramaswamy, saying, "I've had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT." "Climate change is a hoax...The reality is more people are dying of bad climate change policies than they are of actual climate change," Ramaswamy had said.
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Details on Christie's Obama remarks
Christie continued to lay into the Indian-American during the debate, saying, "He stands up here, and the last person in one of these debates, Brett, who stood in the middle of the stage and said, 'What's a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here' was Obama." "I'm afraid we're dealing with the same type of amateur tendencies tonight," added Christie.
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Ramaswamy's epic response to Christie
However, the Indian-American candidate came up with an epic response to Christie and said, "Give me a hug like you did to Obama, and you'll help elect me just like you did to Obama. Give me the damn hug, brother." To note, Ramaswamy's response alluded to the backlash Christie received for hugging Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, days before the 2012 presidential polls. However, he has since denied those claims.
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Two Indian-Americans on Republican presidential debate stage
Other than Ramaswamy, there was one more Indian-American on the Republican presidential debate stage—former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. She is also the only woman in the race for the Oval Office so far. The debate on Wednesday featured eight participants, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Haley, Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
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Know about Vivek Ramaswamy
Born in Ohio to immigrant parents from southern India, Ramaswamy is a multimillionaire former biotech executive. His parents reportedly immigrated to the US with no money 40 years ago, and he believes that the "American dream" will cease to exist for future generations unless action is taken. He is also the founder of Roivant Sciences, which is valued at more than $6.3 billion. He earlier caught the eye of Elon Musk, who labeled him a "very promising candidate."