Vivek Ramaswamy declines to elucidate his remarks criticising Donald Trump in interview

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, in aninterviewon Wednesday (September 6), declined to answer MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan on being asked to elucidate his 'danger to democracy' remark about former United States President Donald Trump.

Ramaswamy started off his interview on a cordial note with host Hasan, saying, “You and I both grew up as kids of Indian immigrants who love to debate, super confident, perhaps overconfident in our views.”

“But here’s the difference. I kind of know my limits … what have you done that even qualifies you to be president of the United States?”

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Citing his business career, Ramaswamy said that he was “an outsider who deeply understands the law and the constitution in this country”.

The conversation took a turn when Hasan asked Ramaswamy specifically about an Alzheimer’s drug that was pushed by the Republican presidential candidate but failed clinical trials.

Both of them then argued over remarks made by Ramaswamy to the Atlantic, in which he expressed collusions about 9/11 and the January 6 foray on Congress, which Trump stirred, after which Ramaswamy took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and on 12 January 2021 wrote, “What Trump did last week was wrong. Downright abhorrent. Plain and simple.”

Hasan then asked, “Is Donald Trump, as you say now, the best president of the 21st century? Or is Trump, as you’ve said in the past, in your books, on Twitter, a ‘sore loser’, who is a danger to democracy, and who did downright abhorrent and egregious things on January 6’? Which one is he, Vivek?”

To which Ramaswamy responded saying that Trump was the best president indeed that the country had in the 21st century, and said he “would have made the same judgments that he has made every step of the way”.

Hasan said, “You say he behaved in downright abhorrent behaviour that makes him a danger to democracy. Downright.”

Ramaswamy then referred to a Wall Street Journal column from 11 January 2021 in which he said, “Censorship was the real cause of what happened on January 6.”

“What did Donald Trump do that in your view was downright abhorrent? Second time I’ve asked that,” said Hasan.

Ramaswamy said, “The thing that I would have done differently if I were in his shoes, I would have declared re-election on January 7.”

Hasan said, “That’s not what I asked, Vivek. What did Trump do that was egregious, quote, ‘downright abhorrent’ and a danger to democracy? Can you just explain to our viewers your words?”

Ramaswamy then said that what happened on January 6 was “reprehensible” and “a true leader should have handled that situation” differently.

Hasan said: “I want to hear from your mouth. You’re scared of him. Why won’t you say what he did that was downright abhorrent?”

Ramaswamy said, “You are stitching together three things.”

Hasan said, “I want you to answer my question, Vivek. Three times I’ve asked it. What did Trump do that was downright abhorrent? It’s a simple question. It’s your words, it’s onscreen, what did he do that was downright abhorrent?”

Ramaswamy said, “I believe that failing to unite this country falls short of what a true leader ought to do. That is why I am in this race, to do things differently than any prior president has done them.”

The video of the interview went viral and took the social media by storm.

(With inputs from the agencies)

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