Vivek Ramaswamy On January 6 & Democracy
Ramaswamy Entertained Conspiracy Theories About January 6
Ramaswamy Said That January 6 Might Have Been An “Inside Job”
Ramaswamy Said The January 6 Attack On The U.S. Capitol “Does Look Like It Was An Inside Job.” According to NBC News, “Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy voiced support for a variety of far-right conspiracy theories at the fourth GOP presidential primary debate Wednesday, suggesting at one point that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was an ‘inside job.’ ‘Why am I the only person on this stage, at least, who can say that Jan. 6 now does look like it was an inside job?’ Ramaswamy said, before he listed other topics popular in conspiracy circles.” [NBC News, 12/6/23]
Ramaswamy Reiterated His Claim That The January 6 Attack On The Capitol Might Have Been An “Inside Job.” According to Politico, “In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Wednesday night, Ramaswamy doubled down on some of the conspiracy theories he listed his support for during the debate: that Jan. 6 was an ‘inside job,’ that the government lied to Americans about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in 9/11, the validity of the great replacement theory and that the 2020 election was stolen by ‘Big Tech.’ ‘I was an anti-woke crusader leaving the business world and if you had asked me three years ago, Is there some chance January 6th is an inside job?, I would’ve said that was crazy talk,’ Ramaswamy said Wednesday. ‘I would say looking at the facts of the video footage that have come out, Dana, it is shocking that you still haven’t gotten a clear answer on how many federal agents were in the field that day.’ Congressional investigations have long rebutted the Jan. 6 claim made by Ramaswamy.” [Politico, 12/7/23]
Ramaswamy Said “Big Tech” Stole The 2020 Election And The “National Security Establishment” Stole The 2016 Election By Discussing Potential Collusion With Russia
Ramaswamy Accused “Big Tech” Of Stealing The 2020 Election And The “National Security Establishment” Of Stealing The 2016 Election From Trump By Touting Russian Collusion Theories. According to the New York Times, “As if reading a far-right message board, Mr. Ramaswamy continued, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen by ‘big tech’ (several intelligence agencies called it ‘the most secure in American history’) and that the 2016 election, which Mr. Trump won, was also ‘stolen from him by the national security establishment’ because of the investigation into allegations that his campaign had colluded with Russia.” [New York Times, 12/6/23]
Ramaswamy Wished A “Happy Entrapment Day” On January 6
Ramaswamy Called January 6 “Happy Entrapment Day.” According to CNN, “On Saturday, he marked the third anniversary of the Capitol riot by referencing the false conspiracy theory that federal agents helped rioters breach the Capitol, calling the anniversary ‘entrapment day.’ ‘Happy Entrapment Day,’ Ramaswamy posted on social media.” [CNN, 1/6/24]
Ramaswamy Blamed January 6 On Censorship
Ramaswamy Blamed January 6 On “Pervasive Censorship.” According to the Washington Examiner, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy blamed ‘pervasive’ censorship for the Jan. 6 riot. Speaking with Tucker Carlson at the Family Leadership Summit, Ramaswamy reasoned that the demonstrators were driven to riot after their voices were suppressed. ‘What caused Jan. 6 is pervasive censorship in this country in the lead-up to Jan. 6,’ he said. ‘You tell people in this country they cannot speak. That is when they scream. You tell people they cannot scream. That is when they tear things down.’ ‘Until we look ourselves in the mirror and admit the truth on that, we will not move forward as a country,’ Ramaswamy added.” [Washington Examiner, 7/15/23]
Ramaswamy Said Blaming Trump For January 6 Was “Unproductive”
Ramaswamy Said It Was “Unproductive” To blame Trump For January 6
Ramaswamy Said Blaming Trump For January 6 Was “Unproductive.” According to USA Today, “Ramaswamy said that he believes it is ‘unproductive for our country to blame Trump for January 6, because it exonerates everyone else from introspection on what actually led to the frustrations of Americans that boiled over that day,’ referencing the COVID-19 lockdowns, vaccine mandates and the 2020 election as a base for having to ‘sort all of this out.’ ‘If you tell people they cannot scream that is when they tear things down,’ Ramaswamy said. ‘And I think that’s exactly what happened on January 6.’” [USA Today, 7/22/23]
Ramaswamy Lamented Sentences For Rioters
Ramaswamy Said The Sentences For The Proud Boys That Were Involved In January 6 Were “Wrong”
Ramaswamy Called The Sentences For Members Of The Proud Boys Involved In The January 6 Attack On The U.S. Capitol “Wrong.” According to the New York Times, “At least two Republican presidential candidates are criticizing as excessive recent prison sentences for members of the far-right Proud Boys involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, casting the defendants as victims of an unfair justice system rather than leading participants in an effort to disrupt the peaceful transition of power. Several sentences have been handed down in the past two weeks: 22 years for Enrique Tarrio, 15 and 17 years for Zachary Rehl and Joseph Biggs, and 10 and 18 years for Dominic Pezzola and Ethan Nordean. The Proud Boys were behind major breaches of the Capitol on Jan. 6, and the men who received the sentences played leading roles in planning the attack, executing it or both. […] Another candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, declared on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday in response to the sentences, ‘This is wrong & it’s sad that I’m the only candidate with the spine to say it.’ In a statement on Wednesday, he vowed to pardon all ‘peaceful, nonviolent’ Jan. 6 participants and said, ‘America now has a two-tiered justice system: Antifa and B.L.M. rioters roam free while peaceful Jan. 6 protesters are imprisoned without bail.’” [New York Times, 9/7/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Would Pardon “Peaceful, Nonviolent” January 6 Protestors
Ramaswamy Said He Would Pardon All “Peaceful, Nonviolent” January 6 Protestors. According to the New York Times, “Another candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, declared on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday in response to the sentences, ‘This is wrong & it’s sad that I’m the only candidate with the spine to say it.’ In a statement on Wednesday, he vowed to pardon all ‘peaceful, nonviolent’ Jan. 6 participants and said, ‘America now has a two-tiered justice system: Antifa and B.L.M. rioters roam free while peaceful Jan. 6 protesters are imprisoned without bail.’” [New York Times, 9/7/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Would Not Have Certified The 2020 Election Results
Ramaswamy Said He Would Have Not Done What Mike Pence Did On January 6
Ramaswamy Said He Would Have Demanded Congress Change Election Laws Before Certifying The 2020 Election. According to ABC News, “In a contentious interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ Sunday, Ramaswamy echoed earlier statements he made to the National Review by saying Pence missed ‘a historic opportunity … to unite this county’ when he certified the results of the 2020 presidential election. During his appearance on the show, he also said that if he had been in Pence’s position, he would have implemented his voting reform proposal by Jan. 7, the day Pence certified Biden’s win, before ‘declaring a reelection campaign’ and certifying results. His proposal: single-day voting via paper ballots requiring a government-issued I.D. ‘matching the voter file.’” [ABC News, 8/28/23]
Vivek Ramaswamy And Voting
Ramaswamy Stated That He Wanted To Raise The Voting Age From 18 To 25
Ramaswamy Called To Raise The Voting Age From 18 To 25
Ramaswamy Called For A Constitutional Amendment “To Raise The Voting Age From 18 To 25.” According to Ramaswamy’s Twitter, “We’re not a direct democracy. We are a *constitutional republic.* We need to revive civic duty among young Americans. That’s why I’m announcing my support for a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age from 18 to 25, but to still allow 18-year-olds to vote if they either pass the same civics test required of immigrants to become naturalized citizens, or else to perform 6 months of military or first responder service. We must be ambitious. I understand not everyone will like this proposal and that it will take persuasion to convince many of its merits, but I’m ready to take that on.” [Twitter, @VivekGRamaswamy, 5/11/23]
Ramaswamy Proposed Allowing People 18 – 25 To Vote If they Passed A Civics Test Or Served In The Military
Ramaswamy’s Proposal To Raise The Voting Age Would Still Allow Those Between 18 And 25 To Vote If They Served In The Military Or Passed A Civics Test Required Of Immigrants To Become Naturalized Citizens. According to Ramaswamy’s Twitter, “We’re not a direct democracy. We are a *constitutional republic.* We need to revive civic duty among young Americans. That’s why I’m announcing my support for a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age from 18 to 25, but to still allow 18-year-olds to vote if they either pass the same civics test required of immigrants to become naturalized citizens, or else to perform 6 months of military or first responder service. We must be ambitious. I understand not everyone will like this proposal and that it will take persuasion to convince many of its merits, but I’m ready to take that on.” [Twitter, @VivekGRamaswamy, 5/11/23]
Ramaswamy’s Own Staff Disagreed With His Proposal
A Ramaswamy Campaign Advisor Said “Most Of The Team Has Not Been For” His Proposal To Raise The Voting Age. According to Politico, “Vivek Ramaswamy, the youngest candidate in the Republican presidential field, is preparing to announce a new policy proposal: Raising the voting age. […] In separate conversations with POLITICO, staff expressed discomfort with the proposal. He has no polling on how such a proposal might land with voters. And while Ramaswamy has privately discussed the idea with his team since he announced his presidential bid in February, he had been convinced to hold off, his aides believing the idea would not be received well. ‘Most of the team has not been for this,’ a campaign adviser who was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations said.” [Politico, 5/10/23]
Vivek Ramaswamy And Conspiracy Theories
Ramaswamy Spread Conspiracy Theories
Ramaswamy Questioned How Many Federal Agents Were On The Planes That Hit The Twin Towers On September 11
Ramaswamy Said He Questioned How Many Federal Agents Were On The Planes That Hit The Twin Towers. According to the Atlantic, “‘I [Ramaswamy] think it is legitimate to say how many police, how many federal agents, were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers. Maybe the answer is zero. It probably is zero for all I know, right? I have no reason to think it was anything other than zero. But if we’re doing a comprehensive assessment of what happened on 9/11, we have a 9/11 commission, absolutely that should be an answer the public knows the answer to. Well, if we’re doing a January 6 commission, absolutely, those should be questions that we should get to the bottom of,’ he said. ‘‘Here are the people who were armed. Here are the people who are unarmed.’ What percentage of the people who were armed were federal law-enforcement officers? I think it was probably high, actually. Right?’” [Atlantic, 8/21/23]
Ramaswamy Suggested The January 6 Attack Was An “Inside Job”
Ramaswamy Suggested The January 6 Attack Was An “Inside Job.” According to NBC News, “Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy voiced support for a variety of far-right conspiracy theories at the fourth GOP presidential primary debate Wednesday, suggesting at one point that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was an ‘inside job.’ ‘Why am I the only person on this stage, at least, who can say that Jan. 6 now does look like it was an inside job?’ Ramaswamy said, before he listed other topics popular in conspiracy circles. ‘That the government lied to us for 20 years about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in 9/11? That the great replacement theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory, but a basic statement of the Democratic Party’s platform? That the 2020 election was indeed stolen by Big Tech?’” [NBC News, 12/7/23]
Ramaswamy Floated The Idea That The Chiefs Would Win The Superbowl Because Taylor Swift Was Going To Endorse Biden
Ramaswamy Floated The Theory That The Chiefs Would Win The Superbowl Because Taylor Swift Was Going To Endorse Biden. According to a tweet from Vivek Ramaswamy, “I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.” [Twitter, @VivekGRamaswamy, 1/29/24]
Ramaswamy And Abortion
Ramaswamy Said He Was Open To A Federal Ban On Abortion
Ramaswamy Was Open To A Federal Ban On Abortion
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Said He Was Open To Being Convinced Of A Federal Abortion Ban. According to Ramaswamy’s appearance at YAFCON NCSC 2023 via YouTube, “RAMASWAMY: So I remain open-minded to any constitutional scholar convincing me of the legal basis for the federal government, which I believe has no authority to codify Roe vs. Wade into law, to codify a federal abortion ban into law either. I remain open-minded.” [Ramaswamy speech via YouTube, 7/27/23]
Ramaswamy’s Spokesperson Said He Was Open To An Argument For A Federal Ban On Abortion. According to the Daily Caller, “Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is open to the federal government playing a role in abortion, but has yet to commit to a ban such as a 15-week ceiling, spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF. ‘He is talking to constitutional scholars and is open to an argument for a federal ban that has a constitutional basis,’ said McLaughlin. ‘He has not seen that yet. He is not open to a commerce clause case. He has serious concerns about the left holding office and using federal law to create state minimums for abortion.’” [Daily Caller, 6/14/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Was Talking To Scholars About The Basis For A Federal Ban On Abortion. According to the Daily Caller, “Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is open to the federal government playing a role in abortion, but has yet to commit to a ban such as a 15-week ceiling, spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF. ‘He is talking to constitutional scholars and is open to an argument for a federal ban that has a constitutional basis,’ said McLaughlin. ‘He has not seen that yet. He is not open to a commerce clause case. He has serious concerns about the left holding office and using federal law to create state minimums for abortion.’” [Daily Caller, 6/14/23]
Ramaswamy Supported State Level Abortion Bans
Ramaswamy Supported A Six-Week Abortion Ban At The State Level
Ramaswamy Said He Supported A Six-Week Abortion Ban At The State Level. According to the Washington Examiner, “Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy came out in favor of an abortion ban ‘around six weeks’ of gestation at the state level. Stressing that he is ‘unapologetically’ anti-abortion but that it’s an ‘issue for the states,’ Ramaswamy argued that roughly six weeks is a good benchmark because that is when there tend to be the first signs of brainwave activity within a fetus. ‘Life ends right when … brainwaves end — that’s how we determine when life ends on the back end. I think we should apply a consistent principle on the front end, that’s around the six-week mark that brainwaves do begin,’ Ramaswamy told Fox News’s America’s Newsroom Wednesday.” [Washington Examiner, 4/26/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Thought Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban Was “Reasonable”
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Called Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban “Reasonable.” According to a tweet from the Democratic National Committee, “HOST: So just to be clear, you’re of the same position that Ron DeSantis is, then, based on the bill he signed last in Florida, six weeks? RAMASWANY: I think that that’s a reasonable bill for him to have signed. Absolutely.” [Twitter – @DNCWarRoom, 4/26/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Was “Upset” Ohio Approved A Constitutional Amendment Recognizing The Right To An Abortion
Ramaswamy Said He Was “Upset” That Voters In His Home State Of Ohio Approved A Constitutional Amendment Recognizing The Right To An Abortion. According to a transcript from Rev of the third Republican primary debate, “[Ramaswamy] It was my home state of Ohio, I’m upset about this, yesterday that passed a constitutional amendment that now effectively codifies a right to abortion all the way up to the time of birth without parental consent.” [Rev, 11/8/23]
Ramaswamy Opposed Roe v. Wade And Supported The Supreme Case That Overturned The Precedent
Ramaswamy Said He Opposed Roe v. Wade
Ramaswamy: “I Am An Opponent Of Roe v. Wade.” According to a transcript of Ramaswamy’s interview with NPR, “[RAMASWAMY] I would not, but I am pro-life. For years, I was an opponent of Roe v. Wade. I think it was constitutionally wrongly decided. I think Dobbs was correct to overturn it because the federal government has no business here. Murder laws are governed by the states. So if abortion is a form of murder, which is the pro-life position, and I am pro-life, then it would make no sense for that to be the one law that was still governed at the federal level. But a federal ban violates the constitutional principle that led us to actually overturn Roe v. Wade, which is why I would not sign a federal abortion ban.” [NPR, 8/23/23]
Ramaswamy Said The Supreme Court Should Overturn The FDA’s Approval Of The Abortion Pill Mifepristone
Ramaswamy Said The Supreme Court Should Overturn The FDA’s Approval of Mifepristone
Ramaswamy Said That The Supreme Court Should Overturn The FDA’s Approval Of Mifepristone. According to The Hill, “Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that he believes the Supreme Court should overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Ramaswamy said at a CNN town hall in Iowa on Wednesday that the case, which the court agreed earlier on Wednesday to hear, is about the authority that regulatory agencies have without direct authorization from Congress. He argued that the FDA exceeded its authority in approving the pill in 2000. ‘It’s my opinion… that the FDA exceeded its statutory authority in using an emergency approval to approve something that doesn’t fit Congress’s criteria for what actually counts as an emergency approval,’ Ramaswamy said.” [The Hill, 12/13/23]
Ramaswamy Called For Ending Federal Funding Of Planned Parenthood
Ramaswamy Said Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood Should End
Ramaswamy Called For Ending Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood. According to NBC News, “Ramaswamy has described himself as ‘pro-life’ and wants to expand post-birth policies that support mothers and fathers, and end federal funding to Planned Parenthood. ‘Let’s walk the walk with respect to being pro-life as the U.S. president,’ he told NBC News in September. ‘I do support ending federal funding for Planned Parenthood on a number of grounds … The federal government should not be spending money on funding its favorite pet causes.’” [NBC News, 10/5/23]
Ramaswamy On Social Security & Medicare
Ramaswamy Was Open To Changing Social Security And Medicare In Their Current Forms
Ramaswamy Said He Was “Up For” Entitlement Reform, Including Changes To Social Security
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Said He Was “Up For” Entitlement Reform, Including Changes To Social Security And Medicare, After Economic Growth. According to a NewsNation Town Hall with Ramaswamy via YouTube, “VITTERT: You said there’s a hard truth. The other hard truth is that we have an exploding national debt. RAMASWAMY: Yes, we do. VITTERT: And we are at a point where it pretty clearly within the next couple of years there’s a possibility of interest rates staying where they are, that the interest on the national debt is going to be more than the tax receipts of the U.S. government. The only way to fix that is entitlement reform. Medicare, Social Security, possibly Medicaid reform. Are you up for that? RAMASWAMY I am up for that after we have delivered economic growth.” [NewsNation Ramaswamy Town Hall via YouTube, 8/15/23]
Ramaswamy Said The Time For A Conversation About Means Testing For Social Security And Medicare Was When The Country Was Doing Better Economically
Ramaswamy Said There Would Be A Time For A Conversation On Means Testing Social Security And MedicareWhen The Economy Was Doing Better. According to a transcript of remarks by Ramaswamy on CNN Tonight, “PHILLIP: Will you pledge then to not touch Social Security and Medicare? Let’s take into consideration your economic plans, but would you pledge not to touch Social Security and Medicare if you are elected president? RAMASWAMY: I do. And, in fact, the irony is that when we’re growing at high GDP growth rate again, by the time I’m out of office in January 2033, we will be growing at over 4 percent. Ironically, it’s actually when the country is at its strongest economically, when our citizens are making more money that we can then have a rational conversation about whether we have the political consensus to draw distinctions between people who have, say, made $10 million or more in their lifetime versus those who have not when it comes to Social Security or Medicare.” [CNN Tonight, 7/6/23]
RAMASWAMY COMPLAINED THAT LAWMAKERS FAILED TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY 20 YEARS AGO
Ramaswamy Lamented That Lawmakers Failed To Privatize Social Security 20 Years Ago
Ramaswamy Said Stopping Partial Privatization Of Social Security 20 Years Ago Was A Mistake
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Said He Wanted To “Allow People To Invest It In A Diversified Portfolio That Invests Including The Market.” According to a transcript of Ramaswamy’s remarks in Concord, NH via YouTube, “RAMASWAMY: Then I think we ought to learn some lessons from the past. Back when we did have a Social Security surplus, it wasn’t that long ago, if we had just allowed that money to be invested by Social Security in the same way that your financial adviser would recommend that you invest your money, in a diversified portfolio, we would be swimming in surplus today. And yet, we’re in deficit. So what does that mean? It’s the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy is the source of the problem. And if we don’t learn from our mistakes of the past, we’re destined to make the same mistakes in the future. That bureaucracy acts as the impediment to economic growth; pare it down, unshackle ourselves. Unleash the beast of our U.S. economy. From a position of growth we are in a much better place. Fix the quirks. Get back to a place of surplus and then actually allow people to invest it in a diversified portfolio that invests including the market so that we can catch up and never make this mistake again. That is what I intend to do against the backdrop principle of no cuts for seniors because we have to ensure trust for people to get what they’ve actually been promised.” [Ramaswamy speech via YouTube, 8/3/23]
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Said ”We Should Have Allowed People To Actually Invest Their Social Security Money” In The Stock Market. According to AARP via YouTube, “RAMASWAMY: And when we do, I think we have to be honest about learning from a prior mistake. Twenty years ago, we should have allowed people to actually invest their Social Security money, or the government to invest Social Security money, in the same way that we would have allowed a private citizen to do, in the stock market and in bonds and otherwise. That’s a good way of knowing that we would have had a Social Security surplus today if we had done those things. Learn from our past mistakes to make sure we don’t make those mistakes again in the future.” [AARP via YouTube, viewed 2/16/24]