‘I Will Ask It a Third Time’: Mehdi Hasan Relentlessly Hounds Vivek Ramaswamy To Answer Simple Question About His Past Attack on Trump

MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan interviewed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on his Peacock show on Tuesday and at one point in the 25-minute interview pushed hard on the Republican’s past criticisms of Donald Trump.

“You say he behaved in downright abhorrent behavior that makes him a danger to democracy. What was it that was downright abhorrent?” Hasan asked Ramaswamy regarding a tweet he posted about Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Let’s actually be really fair to your audience. So on January 10th, 2021, thereabouts, days after that incident, I wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal arguing that censorship was the real cause of what happened on January 6th,” Ramaswamy began in a lengthy answer.

“Understood, you are avoiding my question,” Hasan shot back.

As Ramaswamy spoke over him, Hasan repeated, “What did Donald Trump do, in your view, that was downright abhorrent?”

“Second time I am asking the question,” Hasan continued.

“I think that the thing that I would have done differently if I were in his shoes,” Ramaswamy replied as Hasan cut in, “That’s not what I asked Vivek, with respect.”

Ramaswamy continued to speak as Hasan insisted, “That’s not what I asked, with respect. I will ask it a third time.”

“What did Trump do that was egregious, quote, ‘downright abhorrent and a danger to democracy.’ Can you just explain to our viewers, your words?” Hasan repeated.

“So, so, so, you’re you’re mixing two different quotes. But what did I think was reprehensible about what happened that day? Look, I think that the way a true leader should have handled that situation should have been to actually say,” Ramaswamy replied, again dodging the question.

“I understand, you keep saying what you would have done, I just want to hear from your mouth, unless you’re scared of him. Why won’t you say what he did that was ‘downright abhorrent?’” Hasan insisted again.

“I’m not going to. I’m not going to let you stitch together three things together,” Ramaswamy replied, again wrongly claiming he was being misquoted. In recent weeks Ramaswamy has repeatedly and inaccurately accused the media of misquoting him.

Hasan interjected, “I will read you the quote. Let’s put up the tweet.”

“Do you want to have an actual conversation?” Ramaswamy retorted.

“Yes. I want you to answer my question. Three times I’ve asked it,” Hasan replied.

“It’s a simple question. It’s your words. It’s on the screen. What did he do that was downright abhorrent?” Hasan asked a fourth time.

“I believe that failing to unite this country falls short of what a true leader ought to do. That is why I’m in this race, is to do things differently than any prior president has done them. That’s the hard truth,” Ramaswamy replied.

Hasan again asked if that’s what he thought was “abhorrent” in Trump’s behavior as the conversation moved on.

Watch the full clip above.