As Iowans get ready to make their decisions in Monday’s Republican primary caucuses, tensions between two candidates who up till now seemed to complement rather than criticize each other have risen to the surface.
The exchange between former President Donald Trump and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy began when, without explanation, Trump lashed out at Ramaswamy in a Truth Social post Saturday.
“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc.,” Trump wrote, apparently out of the blue. “Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks.
“Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’ — don’t get duped by this. Vote for ‘TRUMP,’ don’t waste your vote!” he added. “Vivek is not MAGA.”
He then implied that much of Ramaswamy’s support was probably coming from voters who’d prefer to have Trump back in office but fear that the various prosecutions against him will prevent that from happening, and therefore they’re going with Ramaswamy as their second choice. But there’s no need for that reasoning, Trump said, because he would prevail in those legal cases, he predicted.
“The Biden Indictments against his Political Opponent will never be allowed in this Country, they are already beginning to fall! MAGA!!!” he wrote.
Ramaswamy responded in a long post to X that wasn’t anywhere near as combative as Trump’s post had been.
He stared out by acknowledging the fact that he’d seen Trump’s post, but blamed it on the former president’s “campaign advisors” rather that Trump himself.
Would you vote for Vivek Ramasamy for president?
“Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, and I’m not going to criticize him in response to this late attack,” he wrote.
He reiterated, however, that Trump had no chance to be president again, as “the system” wouldn’t permit it. That, to Ramaswamy, means that voters much choose him if they want an “America First” president in the White House next year.
“Our movement must live on. America-First didn’t start in 2016,” he wrote. “It started in 1776. We owe it to our Founding Fathers to do the right thing for our country. I want to save Trump & to save this country.”
Yes, I saw President Trump’s Truth Social post. It’s an unfortunate move by his campaign advisors, I don’t think friendly fire is helpful. Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, and I’m not going to criticize him in response to this late attack.
I’ve met…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 14, 2024
For his part, Trump didn’t seem to feel that he needed saving in the first place.
“A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE,” he wrote Monday morning in another Truth Social post. [emphasis original] “I LIKE VIVEK, BUT HE PLAYED IT TOO “CUTE” WITH US. CAUCUS TONIGHT, VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP, BUILD UP THE NUMBERS!!! IN NOVEMBER, WE MUST TAKE OUR VERY TROUBLED NATION — A NATION IN DECLINE — BACK FROM CROOKED JOE BIDEN AND THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS AND THUGS WHO ARE DESTROYING IT. MAGA!!!”
Caucus voting will being at 7:00 p.m. central time. Trump is expected to win handily, although it’s like these social media posts were designed to keep Ramaswamy from eating into his lead too much. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Trump U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will likely vie for second and third place, with Ramaswamy following in a probably distant fourth.
