In northwestern Iowa on Monday, Vivek Ramaswamy addressed, unprompted, a query that has trailed him all through his presidential bid: Why ought to voters select him as a substitute of Donald J. Trump, the previous president whom he routinely and staunchly defends?
Quite than breaking with Mr. Trump, who leads Mr. Ramaswamy by 50 factors or extra in nationwide polls, voters who assist Mr. Ramaswamy’s proposals have typically acknowledged his alignment with Mr. Trump on quite a few points. Many recommend as a substitute that Mr. Ramaswamy would make a robust vice chairman or future president.
With below per week till the Iowa caucuses, and as he polls in a distant fourth place within the state, Mr. Ramaswamy has addressed these issues with out wavering in his assist for Mr. Trump.
“When you assume they’re going to let this man get wherever close to the White Home once more, I need you to open your eyes,” Mr. Ramaswamy informed round 20 voters in Le Mars, Iowa. (In latest weeks, he has leaned into conspiracy theories on the marketing campaign path.)
On Monday he decried the legal prosecutions Mr. Trump faces as “unconstitutional and disgusting” however not directly prompt he can be extra electable as a result of the “system” would hold Mr. Trump from reaching the White Home.
“I’ve revered him extra on this race than each different candidate as a result of it’s the appropriate factor to do,” Mr. Ramaswamy mentioned. “He was an excellent president for this nation. However our motion can not finish with him.”
Mr. Ramaswamy has typically praised the previous president and promised to pardon him, ought to he be convicted — incomes uncommon reward from Mr. Trump throughout his marketing campaign. However in latest months, he has tried to place himself as youthful and fewer embattled than the previous president, whom he has described as “wounded,” on the path, and in a latest interview with NBC Information and The Des Moines Register.
“You’ve received the way forward for ‘America First’ standing proper right here, recent legs to steer us to victory on this conflict,” he mentioned, suggesting that he would use his data of the legislation to go additional than Mr. Trump did in enacting fashionable conservative insurance policies.
Elaine Tillman, 68, got here into Mr. Ramaswamy’s occasion on the Pizza Ranch in Le Mars undecided, with plans to attend a Trump rally on Saturday. However after listening to Mr. Ramaswamy converse, she mentioned she deliberate to caucus for him as a substitute.
“I favored the whole lot he did, I simply know there’ll be no peace with the Democrats going in opposition to him for the following 4 years,” Ms. Tillman mentioned of Mr. Trump.
However convincing everybody who got here out would show a troublesome process. Shawn Nissen, a 38-year-old building employee from Jefferson, Iowa, mentioned he had braved the frigid climate to listen to from Mr. Ramaswamy in particular person as a result of he noticed him as aligned with Mr. Trump — whom he plans to caucus for.
“I simply assume he’s received to complete what he began again in 2016,” Mr. Nissen mentioned of Mr. Trump. “However I need to hear what Vivek says as a result of although I’m voting for Trump this yr, we’ve nonetheless received one other election in 4 years.”
As a snowstorm bore down on Iowa, Mr. Ramaswamy was one of many few candidates out on the path on Monday afternoon, whereas others canceled deliberate occasions. He had 4 occasions scheduled on Monday in northwestern Iowa, the place he campaigned alongside Steve King, a former congressman for the area.
“When you can’t deal with the snow, you’re not prepared for Xi Jinping,” he informed round 30 folks in Sioux Metropolis.
