Vivek Ramaswamy insists ‘I’d rather speak the truth and lose an election’ as he levels with Alabama rally attendee who called the 2024 hopeful ‘unlikable’
- On Tuesday, Ramaswamy met with a voter in Alabama who claimed his poll numbers weren’t improving because of his “likeability.”
- “There is a time and place for everything… The true mark of a good leader is one who is able to understand the moment and be able to make it happen.”
- Occurs on the eve of the fourth Republican presidential primary debate.
Vivek Ramaswamy rebutted an Alabama voter wary of his “likability,” saying his softer side may not come out on the debate stage when he is forced to go on the offensive.
The 2024 hopeful said his “truth-telling” could make some people “uneasy” after an attendee at a pre-debate reception in Birmingham, Alabama, said he is not Ronald Reagan.
“My strategy in this race is: I would rather tell the truth and lose the election than win by playing snakes and ladders,” he told a room full of Alabama Republicans.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and father of two, was the only candidate to hold an event in Alabama the night before the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy met Tuesday with a voter in Alabama who claimed his poll numbers weren’t improving because of his “likeability.” But the biotech entrepreneur said, “There is a time and place for everything… The true mark of a good leader is someone who is able to understand the moment and be able to make it happen.”
He earned the right to take the stage and debate with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the Frank Moody Music Building at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Ramaswamy gathered at an event hosted by the Alabama Republican Party and after his speech answered some questions from the audience at the plush Marriott Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort & Spa in Birmingham.
One attendee said, “Ronald Reagan was a great speaker, and if he were here, he would probably agree with your policies 98 percent.” But he was able to bridge the gap – he was very likable.”
“Do you have any way? Part of your problem in surveys is the likability factor and the charisma factor. Is there a way to include the actions of Ronald Reagan in your book?” asked the man from Alabama.
The Republican candidate responded, “There is a time and place for everything… The true mark of a good leader is one who is able to understand the moment and be able to realize it.”
“I think it’s also important to know that we have a president who will tell the truth, not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard,” he added.
“And sometimes that truth makes us feel uncomfortable.”
Ramaswamy, 38, gave his typical blunt speech, noting that Republicans need to be ready for the next generation of leaders and railing against the “woke ideologies” of the left.
A voter (far right) asked Ramaswamy: “Part of your problem in the polls is the likability factor and the charisma factor. Is there a way to include the actions of Ronald Reagan in your book?”
Just six weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy is in fourth place behind front-runner Donald Trump, DeSantis and Haley.
Some, like the Alabama voter Tuesday night, think his “likeability” has to do with his ranking in the polls rather than his policies and platform.
“I appreciate it,” the 2024 contender told the audience when his charisma was questioned.
“If you want someone to stop the deep state, truly fight corruption and tell those in power the truth, then vote for someone who will tell you the truth,” he added.
“There is an old saying: if you care about someone, you tell them the truth, if you care about yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. I don’t tell people what they want to hear.”
Several hundred members of the Alabama Republican Party were seen nodding their heads in response to Ramaswamy’s remarks just an hour’s drive from where he will debate Wednesday.
“There is a time and place for everything – tomorrow night is the debate stage,” Ramaswamy noted. “We are in the middle of the race and there are some deep divisions in this party. And I’m not going to play with kid gloves. And you shouldn’t want the people who are allowed to run for US President (sitting opposite Xi Jinping) to be taught to play with kid gloves.”
“I think we want to know if anyone can compete to represent this country.”
“That doesn’t mean that’s the only mode we need in a leader,” he said, turning his attention back to the person who asked the question.
“And I appreciate your comment and answer about as frankly as you asked this question, and I appreciate it. Thank you my friend.