Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told a crowd of Iowa voters in a CNN town hall Wednesday night that the federal government has “lied systematically” to Americans.
The Ohio entrepreneur’s parroting of a series of far-right conspiracy theories — and his pushback against CNN moderator Abby Phillip — showcased his efforts to appeal to a Donald Trump-aligned, conspiracy-minded element of the GOP electorate just weeks before the January 15 Iowa caucuses kick off the party’s 2024 presidential nominating process.
In the town hall at Grand View University in Des Moines, Ramaswamy turned a question about medication abortion into a critique of the federal bureaucracy. He also staked out conservative positions on immigration enforcement and railed against affirmative action efforts.
Here are takeaways from the town hall:
Picking up on a theme he emphasized at the fourth Republican presidential primary debate last week, Ramaswamy embraced a series of conspiracy theories.
He cherry-picked pieces of information to suggest federal law enforcement agents fueled the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, portraying the attack as “entrapment.” FBI Director Christopher Wray earlier this year said such suggestions were “ludicrous.”
He made similar claims about the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, pointing to the acquittal of several of the 14 people charged in that plot — and ignoring the fact that that nine were convicted.
His claims led to an animated exchange with Phillip that stood in stark contrast to Ramaswamy’s comparatively staid demeanor over the rest of the hourlong town hall.
Ramaswamy said he would have dismissed such conspiracy theories as “fringe” and “nonsense” three years ago. However, he said he now believes the federal government has “lied to us systematically” about the coronavirus pandemic, Hunter Biden’s laptop and more.
Ramaswamy uses parenthood to talk income inequality – and his own wealth
During a discussion on income inequality and taxes, Ramaswamy was asked if he wants to pass his billions in wealth down to his two young sons. He previously supported a 59% inheritance tax but now backs a 12% flat tax.
Ramaswamy used the question to delve into his family’s backstory, from his parents’ arrival in the United States 40 years ago to his founding of multibillion-dollar companies. That generational shift – which he framed as the American dream – is what he hopes to pass down to his children.
“I’m not one of these guys who fantasizes [about] lavishing children with a bunch of wealth,” he said. “I want to give them a country that allows them to live the American dream through meritocracy.”
He went on to describe attending college with the children of billionaires at Harvard, some of whom he said were “encumbered” by their inheritances.
Asked what he would do to address the growing chasm between the 1% and the middle class, Ramaswamy said he would focus his attention on the Federal Reserve by preventing it from holding down wage growth.
Ramaswamy called for a strict and far-reaching crackdown on immigration, saying he would send the military to secure both the southern and northern US borders and use local law enforcement to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
“All it takes is a president with a spine,” he said.
He again said that as president he would end birthright citizenship — that is, the automatic US citizenship bestowed on those born in the country, whether or not their parents are in the country legally.
That controversial position mirrors one taken by Trump, and it would be certain to face legal challenges.
Ramaswamy also said that in addition to deploying the US military to the border, he would halt aid to Central American countries until they enact stricter policies to limit the flow of immigrants to the United States, and would complete the US-Mexico border wall.
He said his position on immigration comes despite understanding why many undocumented immigrants came to the United States. “If we were in a tough spot, maybe we would have done the same thing,” he said.
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