Ramaswamy claims RNC will try to ‘silence’ him after Fox segment flap
Vivek Ramaswamy warned Thursday that the Republican National Committee will keep trying to “silence” him before next month’s third GOP primary debate, hinting at growing friction between himself and the party he hopes to represent in next year’s presidential election.
Earlier this week, the RNC jumped in at the last minute to stop the 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur from appearing alongside rival Chris Christie on Fox News’ “Special Report.” An RNC official ripped into both candidates for complaining at the time, since they signed a pledge to not participate in outside debates and would be banned upon actually engaging.
In his latest attack, Ramaswamy threw a punch at both the RNC and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, predicting that the situation between him and the committee will only deteriorate before the Nov. 8 Miami debate.
“They will let certain establishment-favored candidates like DeSantis engage in the kind of debate that allows the field to have the chance to consolidate, as the donor class wants to see happen against Trump,” Ramaswamy told The Post.
“But if there’s a guy like me, who’s an America First candidate, who has had appropriately good things to say about Trump” he went on, the RNC will work to “find every way possible to silence me.”
“You mark my words, I predict this is a trend that will get even worse between now and the third debate, which I have qualified for,” the multimillionaire added.
DeSantis’ scheduled Nov. 30 debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a particular source of ire for Ramaswamy. Newsom, however, is neither a Republican or a presidential candidate.
For Christie, the RNC’s rules won’t prevent him from hitting the debate stage in November, his spokesperson Karl Rickett told The Post. But the former New Jersey governor claimed the RNC was doing Trump a favor by not allowing more discussions.
“They’re carrying Donald Trump’s water. Trump does not want these debates to go on. He’s called for all of them to be canceled. He doesn’t want any conversation because he’s ahead in the polls. So he doesn’t want any competition,” Christie said Wednesday night on Newsmax.
In response to Ramaswamy’s outrage, an RNC spokesperson pointed to the pledge he signed agreeing to follow the committee’s guidelines.
“The same candidates complaining about the rules governing RNC debates all signed a pledge and agreed months ago to not participate in unsanctioned debates,” the rep said. “The RNC will continue to enact a fair, transparent debate process and we will not give in to pressure from individuals seeking to change the rules to favor their candidacy.”
Ramaswamy has already engaged with the idea of debating Christie on X, formerly known as Twitter, after billionaire Elon Musk suggested the plan.
The 2024 hopeful seemed to agree to RNC’s rules — for now — saying he would only debate a Democrat on the platform.
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