Shannon Bream Confronts Vivek Ramaswamy For Failing To Take ‘Shots’ At Trump: ‘You’re Not Actually Running Against Him’

Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream questioned Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over his deference to Donald Trump, given that his campaign has been wrapped up in his constant defenses of the former president.

Bream spoke with Ramaswamy on the latest Fox News Sunday, and the conversation focused at one point on the ardently pro-Trump rhetoric Ramaswamy has embraced recently. Bream made this point by noting that Ramaswamy’s comments about Trump’s potential indictment over January 6 are a far cry from when he called the ex-president’s conduct “Downright abhorrent”

“There’s been a lot of criticism that you’re not taking direct shots at him, that you’re not actually running against him,” said Bream. “You’ve talked about that you think that you’d possibly pardon him should you become president. He’s potentially facing another round of federal charges in connection with January 6.”

After bringing up Ramaswamy’s harsher comments about Trump in the past, Bream asked “Why are you and the other candidates now so quick to defend him? Are you worried about the punch-back you would take for him if you’re actually critical of that behavior now?”

Ramaswamy argued “I’ve been consistent that I would have made different judgments than Donald Trump made.” He maintained, however, that “a bad judgment is not the same thing as a crime,” and he likened the United States to “a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its presidential opponents.”

Bream pointed out that “the reality of a primary is that you do have to convince people to pick you over these other candidates, so we’ll see. I know you are feeling confident about making the debate stage, but that’s where some of these dust-ups will have to happen as you try to differentiate from each other.”

Watch above via Fox News Sunday.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!