Vivek Ramaswamy Told Allies He’s Running to Sabotage Ron DeSantis: Report

Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

If there’s one thing GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy can surely get out of his long-shot campaign, it’s name recognition. But other than simply raising his profile, a report from ABC News posits that there might be another reason behind Ramaswamy’s run: sabotaging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to clear the road for former President Donald Trump.

Those watching the GOP primary race have noticed that Ramaswamy’s strategy is extremely friendly and deferential to Trump, verging on — or maybe blatantly — sucking up to the former president. Judging by what Ramaswamy reportedly told some conservative allies when he first announced his intention to run, knocking out Trump’s most competitive opponent might have been some motivation:

Ramaswamy pitched himself as a candidate who could make serious waves in the Republican primary at the meeting. When met with some skepticism, Ramaswamy argued that his candidacy could also dissuade Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis from entering the race, according to a source who was on the call. In the lead-up to his announcement, Ramaswamy would tell several other conservative activists that he believed that if he ran, it could stop DeSantis from running or impact his viability as a candidate if he did enter the race, sources said.

Scott Morefield, a columnist for TownHall.com, also took notice of the surprise announcement by Ramaswamy in a July column, writing:

So why is Vivek running anyway? Given his already documented sycophantism towards Trump and the fact that he generally has refused to take on the former president directly or even be mildly critical – even though he knows full well that he’d have to ultimately beat Trump to secure the nomination – it’s hard to imagine it’s not for one or both of the following reasons: 1.) To raise his profile and secure some sort of post in the upcoming administration. 2.) To pave the way for a Trump defeat of DeSantis.

Bottom line, whether Donald Trump wins the primary and manages to pull off a miracle win in the general or does as predicted and loses bigly, Vivek Ramaswamy wins with, at a minimum, a massive profile increase.

According to the ABC News report, Ramaswamy’s announcement came way out of left field for those who know him. Reportedly, he had been trying to launch a podcast with The Daily Wire that fell through right before his announcement and was taking several steps to raise his profile in conservative media. Now that he’s arrived on the national stage and displayed his loyalty to the MAGA base, people are talking, including his supposed target, DeSantis. When the DeSantis campaign posted a massive cache of debate prep notes, one note that stood out — in addition to defending Trump from any attacks by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — was to “hammer Vivek Ramaswamy.”

Ramaswamy’s camp provided ABC News with a response when asked about the DeSantis strategy:

When asked for comment on this story, Ramaswamy’s senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin told ABC News, referring to DeSantis: “Does one of your sources live in a publicly financed mansion in Tallahassee, Florida?”