Vivek Ramaswamy has suspended his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
His announcement came after he finished fourth in Iowa with just 8% of the GOP caucus vote.
“I will stick to the truth tonight. The first hard truth and this was hard for me, I gotta admit this, but we’ve looked at it every which way. And I think it is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight,” Ramaswamy said at his watch party in Des Moines, Iowa.
Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race.
— Dimi (@trader_dimi) January 16, 2024
Will he be Trump’s VP?🤔
pic.twitter.com/2IfEpjBSxM
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished second with 21 % of the vote and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley finished third with 19%. Former president Donald Trump earned more than 50% of the vote.
Ramaswamy is now throwing his support behind Trump.
“Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory. And now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency,” he later said.
Trump congratulates Vivek Ramaswamy:
— Worldupdates ( Breaking ) (@itswpceo) January 16, 2024
"He did a hell of a job!"pic.twitter.com/dLwsL8nixE
With zero political experience, Ramaswamy did remarkably well in the early stages of his campaign, but his popularity ratings declined and viewers were invariably unimpressed with his debate performances.
However, Ramaswamy always had high hopes for the Iowa caucus.
In December, during an appearance on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, Ramaswamy was asked whether he’d consider a job in the Trump administration.
“I didn’t get to where I am — I’m 38 years old, I’ve founded multiple multibillion-dollar companies, we’re blessed with the American dream to be able to sell finance and lift this presidential campaign up,” Ramaswamy explained. “I didn’t get where I am, [Apoorva Ramaswamy] didn’t get to where she is by being ‘Plan B people,’ and so I’m actually confident we’re going to overdeliver massively at the Iowa caucus.”
