Vivek Ramaswamy wowed at the Republican debate without Trump
According to Young Republicans in Atlanta, the climate-skeptic entrepreneur was the strongest, while Nikki Haley made a strong impression. The absent Trump commented on the debate on his platform, Truth Social.
PostedAugust 24, 2023, 10:18 AM
Vivek Ramaswamy is a climatosceptic entrepreneur who made his fortune in biotechnology and defends ideas that are radical to say the least, such as the closure of the Ministry of Education.
AFP
At the applause meter, Vivek Ramaswamy won. Nikki Haley pleasantly surprised and Donald Trump did not seem to miss the audience: for young Republicans in Atlanta, Georgia, the first televised debate of the campaign between conservative presidential candidates was an opportunity to gauge the opposing forces.
If ex-president Trump snubbed his rivals and shone by his absence on stage, in a few hours all eyes will be on him: Thursday, he is expected right here in Atlanta. He must make a whirlwind passage through a prison to make himself available to the authorities, after his indictment for his attempts to reverse the result of the 2020 presidential election.
The star of the debate
In the meantime, Riquet Caballero, 36, assures him: the star of the debate was Vivek Ramaswamy, this climatosceptic entrepreneur who made his fortune in biotechnology and defends ideas that are radical to say the least, such as the closure of the Ministry of education.
“It was the Vivek Show,” he told AFP. “People call him Trump 2.0. And I think that’s what we need right now,” he adds, deeming the ex-president’s rantings “hackneyed”. Indeed, in the bar, many of the outings of “Vivek” earned him sound approvals and even a fist raised in sign of support, as when he called to burn coal without qualms.
Nikki Haley ‘very strong’
Andy Chopra, 46, was already very interested in Vivek Ramaswamy. His performance on Wednesday lived up to his expectations, he explains, but he admits to having been “surprised” by Nikki Haley, whom he found “very strong”.
The latter, former United States ambassador to the UN, has on several occasions provoked a round of applause, in particular on the support of the United States for Ukraine, her position on abortion or when she quoted the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
“We are tired of the elderly”
Allen English, president of the Young Republicans of Atlanta and co-organizer of the evening, said he was disappointed with the absence of Donald Trump, but he will not vote for the 77-year-old tycoon: he wants “someone who can (be president) for eight years”, or for two terms, to “repair the damage” of the Democrats.
“We are tired of old people running this country. I like old people, don’t get me wrong,” he adds with a smile, “but we have two guys (Ed., Trump and Biden) who could use canes or walkers. Let’s find someone who may not be at the walker stage!”
He thought Nikki Haley had been a revelation, because she “didn’t spare her blows”, but that Vivek Ramaswamy, although having appreciable “energy”, did not seem to have the capacities to lead a country. .
Late into the night, the evening’s ubiquitous absentee, Donald Trump, commented on his rivals’ debate himself with a plethora of posts on his platform, Truth Social. He notably attacked Ron DeSantis and the “horrible” ex-governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, who criticized him harshly. But to Vivek Ramaswamy, who called him on the show “the best president of the 21st century”, he reserved a kind comment: “Thank you Vivek!”, He wrote.
(AFP)Show comments
2023-08-24 08:18:14
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