Entrepreneur and 2024 Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy told DailyMail.com on Thursday that it was time to defund international institutions hostile to the US and consider withdrawing from the United Nations completely.
He has taken his anti-establishment campaign to second place in the GOP primaries, according to a national poll released this week.
And on Thursday, he took his message back to New Hampshire, where he explained how he plans to dismantle what he calls the country’s “administrative state.”
In an interview with DailyMail.com, he then laid out his most radical plan yet for what he sees as returning sovereignty to the American people.
“I think the UN has outlived its institutional purpose,” he said.
“I think when the UN Human Rights Council is adorned with representatives from North Korea and Venezuela who are pontifical about human rights, I think it’s one of many examples of an institution that has fundamentally lost its way and really has no reason to continue.”
Vivek Ramaswamy told DailyMail.com it was time to defund international institutions hostile to the US and consider withdrawing from the United Nations.
The United States remains by far the largest donor to the UN, contributing more than $12 billion by 2021 – just under a fifth of total funding
The Trump administration withdrew from both the UN Human Rights Council (which was accused of anti-Israel bias and failure to hold abusers accountable) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (also over alleged bias towards Israel).
The Biden administration reversed both moves.
Meanwhile, Trump allies have continued their attacks on UN agencies and programs. They singled out the World Health Organization for particular attention, blaming it for hugging China and mishandling the COVID pandemic.
Ramaswamy said continuing membership in the UN, which is headquartered in New York City, should be based on whether it is in the best interest of the US.
“I would start by cutting certain programs,” he said in his SUV as he traveled to Manchester airport at the end of the day. The WHO is part of that
‘For me, it is not an ironclad principle that the United States should remain in the UN. That is not set in stone. I think we need to evaluate what’s in the American interest.”
Withdrawal would have a catastrophic effect on the UN and its efforts to promote peace, health and human rights around the world.
The United States remains by far the largest donor to the UN, contributing more than $12 billion by 2021 – just under a fifth of the total funding.
Donald Trump led the US out of the UN Human Rights Council and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization over perceived anti-Israel bias. Ramaswarmy wants to follow that lead and maybe even go further
The UN was officially established on October 24, 1945, after its charter was ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries.
But Ramaswamy’s message indicates how much of the Republican field has shifted to Trump’s first position in America.
And the 37-year-old entrepreneur is confident that healthy fundraising and rising polls will help him get his message across at the first Republican debate next month.
A poll released Thursday by Kaplan Strategies found him tied for second place with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by 12 points. Trump leads the field with 48 percent.
His campaign against “wake up” policies has caused him to attract former Trump supporters who like the idea of supporting a younger, more vocal figure.
Assistants were delighted Thursday night when his performance at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St Anselm’s College attracted 27,000 viewers.
They heard him outline plans to dismantle the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Education, and reorganize the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
It’s part of a message that with his geeky approach to regulation, legislation, and the Constitution, he can succeed where Trump failed in draining the “swamp.”
In his public remarks, he also hinted at his plans for the UN
“In the same way that we will repay three letter offices domestically, we will stop the three letter offices and two letter offices abroad that are interfering with the sovereignty of the United States,” he said.
“We are a sovereign nation.
“And we will protect our sovereignty without financial institutions hostile to us.”