Vivek Ramaswamy insists ‘I’d rather speak the truth and lose an election’ as he levels with Alabama rally attendee who called the 2024 hopeful ‘unlikable’
- Ramaswamy was confronted in Alabama on Tuesday by a voter who claimed he is not performing better in the polls because of his 'sympathy'
- “There is a time and place for everything… The true mark of a good leader is one who is able to understand what the moment is and deliver on it.”
- Comes the night before the fourth Republican presidential primary debate
Vivek Ramaswamy refuted an Alabama voter who was wary of his “sympathy” by claiming his softer side might not come out on the debate stage if he is forced to commit the offense.
The 2024 hopeful said “speaking the truth” could make some people “uncomfortable” after an attendee at a pre-debate reception in Birmingham, Alabama, said he is no Ronald Reagan.
“My strategy in this race is: I would rather tell the truth and lose an election than win by playing carefully coordinated snakes and ladders,” he told a room full of Alabama Republicans.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and father of two, was the only candidate to hold an event in Alabama on Wednesday the night before the fourth Republican presidential primary debate.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was confronted Tuesday in Alabama by a voter who claimed he is not performing better in the polls because of his “sympathy.” But the biotech entrepreneur said, “There is a time and a place for everything… The true mark of a good leader is someone who understands the moment and can deliver it.”
He qualified to take the stage and debate with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at the University of Alabama's Frank Moody Music Building in Tuscaloosa, Alabama .
Ramaswamy appeared at an event hosted by the Alabama GOP and took a few questions from the audience after his remarks at the swanky Marriott Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort & Spa in Birmingham.
One participant said, “Ronald Reagan was a great communicator and if he were here, he would probably agree with your policies 98 percent. But he managed to bridge the gap; he was super nice.”
“Is there a way you could do that – part of your problem in the polls is the likability and charisma factor. Is there a way you can incorporate Ronald Reagan's acts into your playbook?' the Alabama man asked.
The Republican candidate responded, “There is a time and a place for everything…The true mark of a good leader is one who is able to understand what the moment is and deliver on it.”
“I think it's also important to know that we have a president who will speak the truth in an unvarnished way – not just when it's easy, but also when it's hard,” he added.
“And sometimes that truth makes us uncomfortable.”
Ramaswamy, 38, delivered his signature stump speech, noting how Republicans must be ready for a next-generation leader and rail against the left's “woke ideologies.”
The voter (far right) asked Ramaswamy, “Part of your problem at the polls is the likability and charisma factor. Is there a way you can incorporate Ronald Reagan's acts into your playbook?'
With just six weeks until the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy is in fourth place, behind front-runner Donald Trump, DeSantis and Haley.
Some, like the Alabama voter Tuesday night, think his “likability” has to do with his placement in the polls — and not his policies and platform.
“I appreciate that,” the 2024 hopeful told the crowd when his charisma was questioned.
“If you want someone who is going to shut down the deep state, really confront the corruption and speak truth to power, then vote for someone who is going to speak truth to you,” he added.
“There's an old saying that if you care about someone, you tell the truth, and if you care about yourself, you tell them what they want to hear. I don't tell people what they want to hear.'
A few hundred members of Alabama's Republican Party nodded in response to Ramaswamy's comments, just an hour away from where he will debate Wednesday.
“There is a time and place for everything – tomorrow night is a debate stage,” Ramaswamy noted. “We are in the middle of a race and there are some deep divisions within this party. And I don't intend to play with kid gloves. And you shouldn't want people who want to run for US president – to sit across from Xi Jinping at the table – to be trained to play with kid gloves.'
“I think we want to know if anyone will be able to fight to represent this country.”
“That doesn't mean that's the only attitude we want in a leader,” he said, turning his attention back to the man who asked the question.
“And I appreciate your comment and I'm answering about as candidly as you asked that question, which I appreciate. Thank you, my husband.'