Opinion
2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy came out swinging against fellow candidate Nikki Haley in Wednesday’s GOP debate..
Ramaswamy said he was the only candidate on stage who was not as “neocon,” meaning a hawkish Republican who holds the foreign policy vision of George W. Bush or Dick Cheney.
RELATED: Ramaswamy Torches Chris Christie: ‘Enjoy a Nice Meal And Get The Hell Out Of This Race’
‘Haley = Corrupt’
“A real distinction, I think, is that I’m the only candidate who is a non-neocon,” Ramaswamy said in Milwaukee. “I believe in asserting American interests, but only where it advances the U.S. interest. I’m very different from other candidates who would sooner send troops to defend invasion across somebody else’s border than the invasion on our own southern border in this country.”
The term “neocons” arose in the 1960s to describe hawkish, “peace through strength” conservatives who favor military intervention and preventative action. The label peaked with President George W. Bush and his advisers, who pushed the War on Terror in the early Aughts.
“I worry that many in the neocon establishment are quietly marching us into World War III, serious armed conflict with other nuclear powers, including the combination of the Russia-China alliance,” Ramaswamy continued. “I am the only candidate in the race who has pointed out the alliance and the threat it poses, and the clear plan to pull them apart from each other.”
“This is a woman who would send your kids to die so she can buy a bigger house,” he later added, speaking of his belief that Haley is interested in involving the U.S. in new wars.
At one point, Ramswamy held up his notepad revealing that his notes only said “Haley = Corrupt” in giant letters.
RELATED: Nikki Haley Ridiculed For Claim Watching TikTok Videos Makes You ‘17% More Antisemitic’ Every 30 Minutes
Trump Still the Frontrunner
Haley responded, “There’s nothing to what he’s saying,” drawing audience applause.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also took part in the debate.
The debate was shown on NewsNation whose own poll showed last week that while Donald Trump was by far the frontrunner, DeSantis was second with 11 percent and Haley registered 10 percent.
Trump’s 2020 campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley told News Nation before the debate that if the former did attend, he would “suck all the oxygen out of the room.”
“It’s fascinating to watch in politics,” Gidley said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I’ve never seen somebody with a stranglehold on a movement or on the base like Donald Trump has.”
Trump has made it clear that he sees no upside in taking part in one of the Republican presidential debates.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on social media back in August. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has still expressed her support for Trump, should he secure the nomination.
“If the voters choose him [Trump], [he] is going to be our nominee and the party will be behind our nominee,” McDaniel said.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments section.
Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”
