Vivek Ramaswamy would tap Elon Musk as an adviser if elected president – and doubles down that he wants Donald Trump as a ‘mentor’

If Vivek Ramaswamy were to become president, he would enlist Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former president Donald Trump to advise him.

When asked on Sunday why he would be more successful than Trump, the 2024 hopeful said he would “build on the foundation” the ex-president laid and seek his mentorship so he doesn’t waste time learning of the same lessons.

On Friday — just two days after the first Republican debate — the political outsider was asked at an Iowa town hall whose advice he would seek if elected. He said Musk would be one of those individuals.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know Elon Musk better lately,” said Ramaswamy. “I expect he will be an interesting advisor to me because he laid off 75 percent of the employees at Twitter.”

This was important to the biotech entrepreneur as he has repeatedly said he intends to implement mass layoffs in the federal government if he is elected to the White House.

Musk had a conversation with Ramaswamy on Twitter where they discussed a range of topics, including the CEO’s disagreement with 2024 hopefuls on climate change

In the polls around third place, Ramaswamy was seen as the breakout star of the Republican debate, where viewers were impressed by the long-player’s ability to deliver a clear message and a barrage of attacks from other candidates on resist the stage.

Despite his praise for Trump during his presidential election so far, Ramaswamy admitted that he was referring to both the edx president and former Georgia state representative Stacey Abrams when he wrote in his book Nation of Victims that “nobody likes a sore loser.” ‘. ‘

Both Trump and Abrams, a Democrat, tried to dispute that the process had been unfair after losing their respective elections.

The 38-year-old self-made millionaire and father of two would be the first-ever millennial to be elected to the White House and has been criticized for his age and inexperience.

“I think being from a different generation, Chuck, will be an asset,” Ramaswamy told NBC News Meet the Press host Chuck Todd Sunday morning.

“I can reach young Americans. I can reach people who have traditionally not been brought into the mold of Republican politics,” he added. “I’m not even talking about Republicans and Democrats. And so I think I’ll be able to build a larger moral mandate across generations that helps unite Americans around the America First agenda, rather than making it a strictly partisan affair.”

He also reiterated his previous comments, saying he would like Trump to serve as a close adviser if he becomes president.

“We have that experience that we can learn from,” he said of Trump’s single term. “I want to build on the foundation Trump has laid. Honestly, I will invite him as an advisor and mentor. I don’t want to relearn the same lessons – I want to pick up where he left off with his approach to the administrative state.”

Ramaswamy was seen breaking out of the first Republican debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (pictured) on Wednesday, where he was attacked alongside him onstage by several other career politician candidates.

He insisted, “I think it takes an outsider to take on that administrative state. But I also think it should be an outsider who has a deep, personal understanding of the laws and constitution of this country.”

“I think in many cases Trump was duped by, for example, his management advisers, who said that you can’t fire employees in the federal government because of the protection of the civil service,” Ramaswamy added during his interview on the Sunday morning program.

“Mass layoffs,” he assured, “are definitely what I will bring to the DC bureaucracy.”

As for tapping Musk into an advisory role, Ramaswamy told Republicans in Iowa that he wants to bring in people with a “fresh impression” to help guide him through new territory.

Musk staged mass layoffs after taking over Twitter last year — something Ramaswamy admires.

The Ohio candidate has spoken out about his desire to shut down multiple agencies within the federal government, including the Department of Education, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Ramaswamy took part in a virtual conversation with Musk last month. During that conversation, Musk described himself as a moderate voter and admitted that he disagreed with Ramaswamy’s perspective on climate change.

Musk also got involved in the Republican primary process when he hosted a Twitter Spaces conversation with Florida Governor Ron Desantis in May when he announced his bid for the White House.