Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced Monday night following the Iowa Caucuses that he has officially suspended his campaign. This was followed up with the former entrepreneur and biotech tycoon fully endorsing Donald Trump for the presidency.
Ramaswamy tweeted, “This entire campaign is about speaking the truth. We did not achieve our goal tonight & we need an America-First Patriot in the White House. The people spoke loud & clear about who they want. Tonight I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Donald J. Trump and will do everything I can make sure he is next U.S. President. I am enormously proud of this team, this movement, and our country.”
This entire campaign is about speaking the TRUTH. We did not achieve our goal tonight & we need an America-First patriot in the White House. The people spoke loud & clear about who they want. Tonight I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Donald J. Trump and will do everything…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 16, 2024
In a speech to his supporters following the race, Ramaswamy said,”We did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight… I think that that’s just a hard fact that we’re gonna have to accept as a campaign.”
Ramaswamy went on to say that he and his wife talked late Monday night, leading them to “make some hard choices.” After telling his supporters that he is shutting down his campaign, Ramaswamy left his supporters with a message. “I am very worried for this country. I think we are skating on thin ice as a nation,” the businessman said.
Ramaswamy mentioned that he called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory, along with offering the former president his full endorsement. “There are two America first candidates in this race,” Ramaswamy explained -- alluding to himself and the former president. He made it clear that “there has to be an America first candidate in the White House.”
The 38 year old Republican dropped out of the race after placing fourth in the Iowa Caucuses. This comes after Ramasawmasy only received 7.7% of the vote. Former President Donald Trump came out on top, winning the caucuses with 51% of the vote – giving himself a major momentum boost heading into the New Hampshire primary, which will be held on January 23.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second in the Iowa Caucuses, receiving 21.2% of the vote. Coming in third place was former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, receiving 19.1% of the vote. As of now, both DeSantis and Haley have remained in the race as they look forward to New Hampshire.
As for Ramaswamy, many experts believe that when it comes to his future in politics, this is just the beginning– especially after building a massive following in the past few months.
