Washington: In a recent appearance on a Sunday talk show, Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy expressed his expectation of securing the party's nomination for the November 2024 US elections. However, he made it clear that if former President Donald Trump were to secure the nomination, he would vote for him and, if elected as President of the United States, would pardon Trump, who currently faces various legal challenges.
"If Donald Trump's the nominee -- yes, I will support him, and if I'm the president, yes, I will pardon him because that will help reunite the country. But it's not the most important thing I'm going to do as the next president. It is the table stakes for moving this country forward," stated Mr. Ramaswamy in an interview with ABC News.
Ramaswamy's impressive performance in the inaugural Republican primary presidential debate last month has propelled the 38-year-old Indian American entrepreneur to prominence. He is now competing alongside fellow Indian American rival Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina.
Notably, Ramaswamy is the sole Republican presidential hopeful to openly endorse Trump and his 'America First' policies, including stances on issues like climate change.
"My bottom line is that I will vote for the person who I think is best positioned to move this country forward. I do not think that's Joe Biden. I do not think that is whichever other puppet, Kamala Harris or anybody else, that they roll out after Joe Biden," he asserted.
While Ramaswamy acknowledges disagreements with several of his Republican counterparts on various issues, he firmly believes that any of them would be more effective than Joe Biden or Kamala Harris in steering the US towards progress.
"That is my arbitrator when I cast my vote for who the next president is -- who's going to serve the interests of the American people? That's not some sort of commitment driven by vengeance or grievance. It is driven by a commitment to our purpose as citizens of this country," he emphasized.
Ramaswamy stressed that the 'America First' movement belongs to the people of the US, highlighting the power of the electorate in selecting the next president. He expressed his determination to preserve this system rather than see it replaced by a federal police state determining the nation's leadership.
"I stand by that without apology," he declared.
Ramaswamy's candidacy is rooted in his expectation of becoming the Republican nominee and leading the country forward. He reiterated his view that many of the charges against Donald Trump are politically motivated and set a detrimental precedent for the United States.
"I do not want to see us become a banana republic where the administrative police state uses police force to eliminate opponents from competition. That's not the way it works," he concluded.