Ramaswamy defends Steve King endorsement, says Trump got 'duped' by 'managerial class'

Fresh off an endorsement from former U.S. Rep. Steve King, presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy dismissed much of the reporting into the controversial Iowa congressman's past comments on white supremacy and white nationalism, calling it "downright false."

"People can judge for themselves, is that really racist or is this a man who is speaking his convictions that are true and good-hearted, that the mainstream media and The New York Times has decided to label as a word that they know will alienate people?" Ramaswamy said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Des Moines Register Chief Politics Reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel and NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns in the Register's newsroom.

The author and entrepreneur turned Republican candidate defended King despite his history of controversial comments, including from a 2019 interview with The Times in which he said, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" King lost a Republican primary election in 2020 to now-U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra.

Ramaswamy said he had gotten to know King while campaigning and the former congressman had "earned my trust."

"I believe him sooner than I believe The New York Times," he said.

"I'm proud to have his endorsement. I'm not afraid to say it."

Current conversations around King are "a charade," Ramaswamy said, calling King's 2020 election loss a scheme by "the donor establishment" and arguing that modern debates on white supremacy and racism are counterproductive.

"These words have ceased to mean anything," he said. "If somebody wants to define white supremacy for me, then we can actually have a serious conversation about that."

Ramaswamy said the two had found "common cause on countless issues where other Republicans are too afraid to stand up," including opposition to using eminent domain to construct carbon-capture pipelines, ending birthright citizenship and "making English the national language."

“Vivek Ramaswamy is going to shock the world at the Iowa Caucus because he is the only candidate in this race who’s had the courage to oppose the CO2 pipelines here in Iowa, to publicly oppose the climate change cult, to commit to pardon peaceful Jan. 6 protestors on Day 1, and to end birthright citizenship for kids of illegals in this country,” King said in a statement Tuesday.

Ramaswamy says DeSantis, Haley, Christie are 'culpable' for 'facilitating' attempts to oust Trump from primary ballot

Ramaswamy, who has been a staunch defender of Donald Trump amid the former president's ongoing legal battles, has pledged to withdraw his name in states such as Colorado and Maine that have moved to take Trump off the primary ballot.

Republicans have almost universally criticized efforts to remove Trump, but Ramaswamy called on other Republican presidential candidates to go a step further, arguing that as long as they remain on the ballot in those states, they are partially to blame for an attempt to "eliminate (Trump) from competition."

"I'm going to continue to call out Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Chris Christie," Ramaswamy said. "I think that they will be exposed as being either culpable or indirectly culpable for facilitating this election interference."

None have agreed to be removed from a primary ballot.

Ramaswamy has positioned himself in the presidential race as the next-generation successor to Trump, almost never criticizing him directly, but insisting that fierce opposition has made it untenable for the former president to continue for another administration.

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Ramaswamy said in the interview he supports "Donald Trump and his legacy," but said 2024 is about "who's going to lead our America First movement to the next level."

"They don't have on me what they have on him," Ramaswamy said of the former president, who he said had been "duped" by the "managerial class" in government. "They duped Trump in a way they won't be duping me."

Ramaswamy says Trump pardon would 'unite country,' urges focus on Hunter Biden investigation

Ramaswamy has said he would pardon Trump on his first day as president, arguing that the use of "unprecedented legal theories" and "politicized" prosecutions has divided the nation.

"I also think it's the right thing to do to unite this country and move our country forward," he said.

But asked if he would do the same for the charges facing Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden's son, Ramaswamy urged further investigation and said the same "unprecedented" legal maneuvers were not in play. He pointed to Republican allegations that Hunter Biden had been paid by a Ukrainian firm while his father was vice president.

"I do think it's impacting policy," Ramaswamy said, arguing that other charges Hunter Biden was facing, including a gun charge, were a "deflection" by Democrats.

In December's Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll, 5% of potential GOP caucusgoers said Ramaswamy was their first choice for president. Trump (51%), DeSantis (19%) and Haley (16%) polled above him.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

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