Former President Donald Trump lashed out at GOP primary challenger Vivek Ramaswamy, who calls himself an “America first” candidate while praising Trump. The fury came after Trump’s campaign got upset over Ramaswamy’s photo with a group of supporters wearing “Save Trump, Vote Vivek” shirts bearing Trump’s mugshot in an apparent reference to Ramaswamy's pledge to pardon the former president.
“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’ — don’t get duped by this. Vote for ‘TRUMP,’ don’t waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA.”
Trump lashed out at Ramaswamy again on Monday ahead of the Iowa caucus, warning that a “VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE.”
“I LIKE VIVEK, BUT HE PLAYED IT TOO ‘CUTE’ WITH US,” he wrote.
Trump hits Vivek again pic.twitter.com/xVMiM812mT
— Michael Duncan (@MichaelDuncan) January 15, 2024
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow primary foe, mocked the situation on Monday after Trump threw Ramaswamy “under the bus.”
“I’ve never seen a candidate run for an office and basically campaign for another candidate in the same race before, and that’s what’s happening. But the minute he wasn’t useful, you know, they dropped the hammer on it. So that’s just kind of the way, way they are,” DeSantis said.
.@RonDeSantis says he noticed that Trump threw @VivekGRamaswamy “under the bus.”
— Kit Maher (@KitMaherCNN) January 14, 2024
“The minute he wasn't useful, you know, they dropped the hammer on it. So that's just kind of the way they are.” pic.twitter.com/VcTxThPCsH
