Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy branded the “climate change agenda” a “hoax” during the first debate, but video shows he has flip-flopped on the subject.
“Let us be honest as Republicans, I’m the only person on the stage who isn’t bought and paid for so I can say this: The climate change agenda is a hoax. The climate change agenda is a hoax,” he argued in Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
But the biotech entrepreneur has not always been so strident in his views about the climate crisis and in March was seemingly much more open to the idea of climate change.
“Climate change is also real, by the way. We’re talking about the climatism piece of this. When I talk about climatism and Covid-ism, I’m not denying the underlying reality of Covid. I’m not denying the underlying reality that global surface temperatures are going up, and in part due to human activity,” he told Major Garrett of CBS News.
And in February 2021 he gave congressional testimony during which he admitted that “fighting climate change” was not a “bad goal.”
During Wednesday night’s debate, all eight candidates on the stage were asked if they believed that human behaviour was causing climate change.
Moderator Martha MacCallum was interrupted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who told her, “We’re not schoolchildren. Let’s have a debate.”
Vivek Ramaswamy just said climate change is a hoax. But check out what he said 5 months ago. ‼️ #GOPdebate #rumble2024debate pic.twitter.com/BOJM4sIoS0
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) August 24, 2023
Mr Ramaswamy then gave his answer, which received a chorus of boos from the audience.
In the end, only one GOP candidate, Asa Hutchinson raised his hand in response to MacCallum’s question.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley told the audience that climate change was “real” and attacked China and India over their emissions.
