Vivek Ramaswamy’s Highlights ― Second Primary Republican Debate

Mr. Ramaswamy, you've said you really empathize with the strikers. You're standing next to Senator Scott. Do you agree with what he said, or do you think he's wrong? I agree with some of what he said, for sure. I like the spirit of it. I'll say that I don't have a lot of patience for the union bosses. I think that's where he and I actually have a common view. I do have a lot of sympathy for the workers, however. People are going through real hardship in this country. I've been through hardship growing up. My father stared down layoffs at GE under Jack Welch's tenure at the GE plant in Evendale, Ohio. My mom had to work overtime in nursing homes in southwest Ohio to make ends meet and pay off our home loan. So I understand that hardship is not a choice, but victimhood is a choice. And we choose to be victorious in the United States of America. You know what? If I was giving advice to those workers, I would say, go picket in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. That's really where the protest needs to be, disastrous economic policies that have driven up prices, that have driven up interest rates and mortgage rates, at the same time wages remaining stagnant. What we need is to deliver economic growth in this country, unlock American energy, drill, frack, burn coal, embrace nuclear energy, put people back to work by no longer paying them more money to stay at home, stabilize the U.S. dollar itself, and rescind a majority of those unconstitutional federal regulations that are hampering our economy. That is how we unleash American exceptionalism. And that's not a Democratic vision or a Republican vision. That is an American vision that we embrace economic growth, and capitalism is still the best system known to man to lift us up from poverty, and we should not apologize for it. That's what it means to be an American. I need to jump in here. Okay, we'll give you 15 seconds. Go ahead, and then we're going to the border. I need to jump because Ilya mischaracterized a part of my view. I think this artificial division is unhelpful in our party. The real divide is not between the Republicans on this stage, and in the Reagan library, I want to say these are good people on this stage. The real divide is between the majority of us in this country who love the United States of America and share our founding ideals—free speech, meritocracy, the idea you get ahead in this country, not in the color of your skin, but in the content of your character, and the fringe minority in the Democrat party that has a chokehold over that party. That's the real divide. So this populist versus classical debate is artificial. We need to unite this party. We are going to talk about immigration and the border. I want to answer the question on child care. We have millions of people— We have all these questions. We're going to get to you. America is not a country to decline. We are going to get to you. You say, drill, baby, drill. But the courts won't let you. Mr. Rameshwami, how would you bring down prices without immediate drilling? Well, look, I think that we do have to run through the courts and get through that administrative state to make sure we're using the natural resources here at home. But here's the other thing that we can do that's easy. It would take forever, Mr. Rameshwami. And it addresses the national debt as well as brings down prices. Put people back to work. We are using taxpayer money to pay people more to stay at home than to go to work. That is wrong. That contributes to our supply chain crisis. It contributes to inflation. That's the easiest way to unlock this economy. And here's the other thing. We have to put the Federal Reserve back in its place. This is an agency that has gone rogue. So in January 2026, when I have the opportunity as their next commander in chief, we will have a new chairman of the Federal Reserve who places priority on dollar stability and then, most importantly, send packing 75 percent of the administrative state, reduce the federal employee headcount by 75 percent, rescind 50 percent of unconstitutional federal regulations that are shackling businesses, both large and small. I've offered a very clear, practical plan to do it. That's how we unleash the economy. That's how we revive the integrity of a three-branch constitutional republic rather than this technocracy and aristocracy in the administrative state.