Townhall Attendee Goes OFF on ‘Scam Artist’ Vivek Ramaswamy Over ‘Illogical and Dangerous Positions’: ‘A Liar’ With No Experience
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was confronted by a critical town hall attendee in New Hampshire who excoriated him as a “scam artist” and “showman” in New Hampshire on Saturday.
“Mr. Ramaswamy, thank you. You’ve expressed some illogical and dangerous positions just about everything under the sun. But I will only bring up a few points today,” began the voter, who was instructed by Ramaswamy to “be respectful” of other attendees and pick her “favorite” critiques.
“A few years ago, we all saw firsthand the disastrous results when a ruthless capitalist, a scam artist, a showman, and a liar with no public service experience became the president of the United States, and yet we are here again. My fellow New Hampshire residents are being manipulated by showmen and Trump wannabes to win our votes,” declared the Granite Stater, drawing a parallel between Ramaswamy and former President Donald Trump.
She continued:
Mr. Ramaswamy, you may be a millionaire and you may know how to avoid paying taxes by incorporating companies in Bermuda. But let’s talk about your lack of job qualifications. You’re not qualified to become the principal of my children’s school of only 1000 students. You’re not qualified to be the selectboard of my town with a population of 16,000 people. And you’re definitely not qualified to run for the highest office of our nation to govern 330 million Americans. Spewing nonsensical, fast talking, empty words interspersed with name dropping, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington should not be misconstrued as knowledgeable. We Americans should stop thinking that rich men who fund their campaigns and manipulate us into thinking that they’re smart or savvy, are qualified for the presidency to receive the codes to launch nuclear weapons and to become the commander-in-chief of our military forces.
“If we American voters keep supporting self-promoting showmen who treat the U.S. presidency or vice presidency as an entry level position, then we, the American people, are to blame for the destruction of our democratic institutions. Please your thoughts about that?” she concluded.
“So here’s what I will say: There’s, what do I hear embedded in that question? There’s, a fundamental skepticism of somebody who comes from outside and take as an entry-level job — that was what was in your question, which I think is a valid criticism — an entry level job to be the U.S. president,” replied Ramaswamy, who went on to argue that while other candidates were beholden to their donors, he is not.
“This is corruption that exists in both parties,” argued Ramaswamy. “I do think it will take an outsider to that system coming in to break that system. One of the things I think we need to stop apologizing for in this country is the power of capitalism. I have succeeded not in government, and I will not feign having government experience that I don’t have. But the people who do have government experience in some ways got us into the mess that we’re in today. So I think we live in a moment where it will take an outsider. Someone who comes from the outside, ideally even someone who comes from the next generation.”
Ramaswamy has come under fire over the course of the campaign for his efforts to hide parts of his past, as well as his decision to refrain from critiquing Trump.
Those two critiques came together after the first Republican primary debate in August, when Ramaswamy contradicted his own past statements praising Mike Pence for having done the right thing by not attempting to help Trump steal the 2020 presidential election.
