A person of Indian origin, namely Rishi Sunak, now occupies No. 10 Downing Street in London. Will another Indian become a resident of the White House in Washington DC? That possibility cannot be ruled out considering the surge in popularity of 38 year old billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. He has become one of the front runners to become the face of the Republican Party (also known as Grand Old Party or GOP) in the US presidential election. Among his numerous fans are Elon Musk and several other well known celebrities.
Donald Trump continues to be the most popular leader in the party but he is embroiled in many controversial and complex problems. Trump’s detractors are trying to get him disqualified and how this matter will be resolved is uncertain.
Wants to abolish the FBI
In the recent Republican debate which saw eight candidates in the fray (although Donald Trump stayed away), it was first timer Ramaswamy who was a confident winner according to a BBC report. The Indian American has some unconventional views which include abolition of the FBI and the IRS. “We will not reform these institutions. We will totally shut them down,” he said in an interview.
Vivek Ramaswamy has blazed his way ahead of all other contenders in the Republican Party. Going by tradition, the Party generally prefers candidates who uphold conservative values, limited government intervention, lower taxes, a strong national defense, commitment to fiscal responsibility and traditional social values.
Candidates who align themselves with these principles tend to resonate well with Republican supporters. Ramaswamy’s attitude coincides with most of these ideologies so he is a good match. He describes himself as an anti-woke crusader. This term may not be familiar to many Indians. So a little explanation is necessary:
Who is an anti-woke person?
Basically such a person is opposed to ultra modern ideologies of social justice and what many would call progressive movements. Anti-woke persons are skeptical of ideas related to political correctness. They believe that it hampers free speech which is essential to the functioning of a democracy.
A spade must be called spade is their way of thinking. One can see these thoughts and values being expounded by Donald Trump and the same can be said about Vivek Ramaswamy’s views on many issues. Given his attitude, it is not surprising that Ramaswamy is an admirer of Narendra Modi. He has referred to the Indian PM as an outstanding leader.
Self made man
Vivek Ramaswamy whose parents’ mother tongue is Tamil, lived in Kerala but went to the USA and settled there before Vivek was born. Vivek’s skills and aptitude allowed him to rise in academics and he was a self made man. During his growing up years he was a good student and an outstanding tennis player.
Vivek graduated from Harvard with a distinction (termed summa cum laude) in biology in 2007. He was also a member of the Harvard Political Union (of which he eventually became the President) and was successful in debates on different issues. He later studied at Yale Law School.
Founded a firm based in tax haven Bermuda
Later he founded a firm named Roivant Sciences which dealt with healthcare and drug development. The firm was located in Bermuda which is a tax haven and received millions of dollars from investors. In 2015 Vivek raised 360 million dollars to market a drug called intepirdine for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Two years later the company announced that the drug had failed clinical trials and its share prices dropped by 75 percent in one single day.
But by then he had also been dabbling in politics and becoming known in that field. On 21st February 2023, he declared his intention to be a candidate for the Republican Party nomination for US President in the 2024 elections. Thereafter he took part in 150 podcasts and refused no interviews. “Trump was a very good President. But he fell short of what America needs,” Vivek said recently.
The Indian American has made rapid strides and is now reckoned to be second only to Donald Trump. Even Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who used to be Trump’s main challenger has fallen behind.
But Ramaswamy will have to work very hard to get close to Trump’s huge popularity. However life often takes unexpected twists and turns. No one can predict what may happen in the next few months. Trump must take great care not to slip at the final hurdle. On the other hand Ramaswamy has nothing to lose. He is campaigning on full throttle. His supporters are hoping that their man will successfully pull off Mission Impossible.
| 
