Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed by controversial former Iowa Rep. Steve King

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was endorsed for president Tuesday by former Republican Iowa Rep. Steve King, who was voted out of office in 2020 after questioning why the terms “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” had become “offensive.” 

“Vivek Ramaswamy is going to shock the world at the Iowa caucus because he is the only candidate in this race who’s had the courage to oppose the CO2 pipelines here in Iowa, to publicly oppose the climate change cult, to commit to pardon peaceful Jan 6 protestors on day 1, and to end birthright citizenship for kids of illegals in this country,” King said in a statement. 

“If you want someone who is going to take on the deep state and speak truth to power, then vote for someone who is going to speak the truth to YOU. Join me on January 15 in voting for Vivek Ramaswamy, the next President of the United States,” he added. 

King, who served 18 years in the House of Representatives, lost his primary race to Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra in June 2020 after being stripped of his committee assignments over comments that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle deemed as offensive and racist.  

“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King, 74, told The New York Times in January 2019. 

He later issued a statement saying that rejected “those labels and the evil ideology that they define.” 

Ramaswamy, 38, celebrated the endorsement from the former Hawkeye State lawmaker. 

“This isn’t an endorsement from a politician. It’s from a true patriot,” the biotech entrepreneur wrote on X. 

“Most people are sheep when it comes to making endorsements, but [King] doesn’t do what he’s ‘supposed to,’” Ramaswamy said in another post. “He votes his conscience and that’s why I respect him.” 

“Steve King was America First before it was cool. The likes of Steve King & Pat Buchanan were the OGs. He doesn’t back down from a fight and he certainly doesn’t bow to the Establishment. Grateful for his endorsement. Next up #shocktheworld on Jan. 15,” he added. 

Ramaswamy is in a distant fourth place in Iowa, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, with only 5.9% support. 

He also announced Tuesday that he will hold a town hall event on Jan. 10, the same night CNN will host a Republican presidential primary debate in Iowa, after he failed to meet the network’s requirement of hitting 10% in three Iowa or national polls in order to take the stage.