Vivek Ramaswamy has claimed he is “worried” about Donald Trump after the former president accused him of “fraudulent campaign tricks” in a surprise attack.
Trump, 77, took to Truth Social on Saturday to deliver a scathing assessment of his fellow Republican candidate just 48 hours before the Iowa caucuses.
He wrote that the biotech millionaire is clearly “not MAGA” and that a vote for him would help the “other side.”
Ramaswamy, who has expressed support for the former president in the past, went to X later in the evening to express his shock at Trump's post.
“I’m worried about Trump.” I’m worried about our country. “I have resisted the persecution of Trump and defended him at every turn,” he wrote.
Vivek Ramaswamy (centre) has claimed he is “worried” about Donald Trump after the former president accused him of “fraudulent campaign tricks” in a surprise attack
Trump, 77, took to Truth Social on Saturday to deliver a scathing criticism of his fellow Republican candidate just 48 hours before the Iowa caucuses
Ramaswamy, who has expressed support for the former president in the past, went to X later in the evening to express his shock at Trump's post
Immediately after his court appearance in New York, Trump hit Ramaswamy for the first time and urged his supporters not to be fooled by him.
Ramaswamy responded with a lengthy statement on
“Donald Trump was the greatest president of the 21st century, and I will not criticize him in response to this late attack.”
“I have met tens of thousands of Iowans here at more than 390 events, and they are deeply concerned – and so am I – that this 'system' will no longer allow Donald J. Trump to come anywhere near the White House.
“It seems like they will stop at nothing to keep him out of power.”
Noting that he has always been a supporter of Trump, he said, “I showed up at the Miami courthouse in solidarity after his first federal indictment.”
“I have filed a FOIA request with the Biden DOJ. I filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court this week asking it to overturn Colorado's ruling.
“I promised to withdraw from the Maine and Colorado primaries if they unseat Trump and have urged DeSantis and Haley to do the same.”
Ramaswamy further claimed that billionaires are funding lawsuits against Trump to “support Nikki Haley.”
He added: “They want to limit this to a two-horse race between Trump and Haley, eliminate Trump (one way or another) and put their puppet in the White House.”
“We must not fall into this trap. A year from now we won't look back and say we were shocked it happened. We'll be angry that we didn't stop it.
“I want to save Trump and this country.” Let’s do it together. You won't hear any friendly fire from me.'
Trump's comments marked the first time he had spoken ill of Ramaswamy, who had defended him in the face of his numerous criminal cases.
If elected, Ramaswamy has promised to pardon him “on day one,” and at the first GOP debate he proudly praised the 77-year-old as “the best president in generations.”
Donald Trump — seen here in a Manhattan courthouse on Thursday — turned to Truth Social to deliver a scathing assessment of GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
The criticism was pointed and led the former president to criticize the only Republican who had expressed support for him in the past
But Trump appeared unfazed by the 38-year-old Ohioan's previous comments – and launched a direct attack as he continues to gain unexpected support among Republicans in the Iowa polls.
Trump even referenced the August praise, writing, “Vivek started his campaign as a big supporter, 'the best president in generations,' etc.”
“Unfortunately, he is now just disguising his support with fraudulent campaign tricks,” the would-be two-term commander in chief added.
“Very smart.”
While Trump did not address the alleged wrongdoings, he continued to posit that Ramaswamy was “deceiving” the American public and then warned them: “Don't let this fool you,” referring to the entrepreneur's campaign.
“Vote for “TRUMP”, don’t waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA,” the post continued.
“Biden’s charges against his political opponent will never be allowed in this country, they are already beginning to fall!”
“A vote for Vivek is a vote for the 'other side'.”
Ramaswamy has defended Trump in the face of multiple criminal cases and promised to pardon him “on day one” if elected. At the first GOP debate, he proudly praised the 77-year-old as the “best president in generations.”
Trump's comments came a few days after polls showed Trump remaining ahead in the polls in Iowa but losing some ground to the notoriously inflammatory Ohioan
The comments came a few days after polls showed Trump remains ahead in polls in Iowa but may be losing ground slightly to the notoriously inflammatory Ramaswamy, who some say is stealing support from the ex-president
Radical Ramaswamy – who has called “transgenderism” a “mental disorder” – failed to garner the national support needed to take part in last Thursday's debate and filed an amicus brief in support of it with the Supreme Court that day a trump card for a person who is also absent.
In it, the Republican supported his rival's efforts to remain on the state ballot despite the cases against him.
“President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from voting in several states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” Ramaswamy wrote, calling the five lawsuits against his rival a predation Biden administration.
“It goes without saying that the stress of competing against a strong opponent cannot be a justification for disqualification under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment,” he continued.
“The consequences of upholding the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will extend far beyond the dispute over President Trump’s electability.”
At a campaign rally in Des Moines, Ramaswamy attempted to rejoin the Republican front-runner — and potentially distance himself from other candidates — by sharing a photo with X that showed a group of supporters wearing T-shirts with Trump's mugshot
Recent polls suggest both Haley and DeSantis — and especially Ramaswamy — would have to turn off Trump supporters if they want to have a chance against the former president, whose support topped 50 percent
The following day, at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Ramaswamy attempted to re-align himself with the GOP front-runner – and possibly distance himself from other candidates – by sharing a photo with X that showed a group of supporters holding T- Wore shirts with Trump's mugshot Read: “Save Trump.” Vote for Vivek.'
An accompanying caption from the battleground state, calling the Trump-leaning men patriots, read: “A group of young men in Iowa came out in a snowstorm. They sent a clear message.”
A few hours later, Trump responded with sharp remarks, perhaps feeling threatened that Ramaswamy was stealing support from his fan base.
However, in most polls – including a recent Suffolk University poll of 500 Iowa voters expected to vote in the Republican primary on Monday – Trump is well ahead not only of Ramaswamy, but also of others, including Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis .
According to the Suffolk poll, both Haley and DeSantis would have to turn off Trump supporters if they want to have a chance against the former president, whose support is above the 50 percent mark.
Meanwhile, according to the poll, Ramaswamy still needs to do more work as he is in fourth position with a paltry 6th position behind all the above-mentioned candidates.
Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during Trump's term, received 20 percent support, while the Florida governor received 13 percent.
As the four battled for votes ahead of the upcoming caucus, Trump seemed to get wind of that dynamic and happily cast aside his previous relationship with Ramaswamy in the hope of all but ensuring a victory.
Trump's various legal troubles emerged during the primary, an issue Haley highlighted by frequently speaking of “chaos” in the former president's wake, while DeSantis argued that Trump's legal troubles would cost him votes in the general election.
According to a CNN report on Saturday, at least some Iowa voters who support Trump are weighing these concerns as they consider who to vote for.
Meanwhile, four political analysts polled by Portal said Trump needs a more convincing victory closer to the 30-point mark suggested in the polls to blunt the momentum of others – particularly Haley's – with one Republican strategist telling the newspaper that Trump must win at least 15 to 20 percentage points or risk a loss.
A pickup truck is seen driving along a snow-covered road under an Iowa Caucus sign on Friday
The unrest outside the caucus shows how much the candidates are struggling, here the CNN Republican presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday
As candidates battle for the top spot, Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, has edged ahead of Ron DeSantis in a new poll in Iowa ahead of Monday's caucuses
“This is the bare minimum for Trump.” “Anything below that shows vulnerability – and is exaggerated as such,” said political scientist Doug Heye.
Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita said he was confident the “intensity” of the former president's base would lead to a big victory despite the cold gripping the Midwestern state.
However, on Thursday, alongside his highly professional comments, he also delivered a scathing rebuke to Ramaswamy.
“If you support @realDonaldTrump don’t fucking vote for this FAKE,” read the strikingly similar post on X, which reshared Ramaswamy’s photo of the Trump shirts.
When asked by reporters Thursday, he couldn't predict what kind of victory the polls suggested.
“A win is a win, but no one has ever won by more than … 12.8,” LaCivita said.
The unrest outside the caucus shows the candidates have their hands full as they fight for pole position in the all-important presidential race that begins Monday in the Midwest when Republicans choose their preferred candidate.
A wild card is turnout, amid concerns that Trump's supporters will stay home given his comfortable lead in the polls.
That's why Trump has warned against complacency at recent rallies.
A wild card is turnout, amid concerns that Trump's supporters will stay home given his comfortable lead in the polls. Here he is seen attending a Fox News Town Hall on Wednesday while other candidates attended the debate
“In 10 days, the people of this state will cast the most important vote of their entire lives,” Trump told several hundred supporters gathered at Sioux Center on Friday evening.
He implored them to show up on caucus night, warning: “If you sit back, bad things happen.”
Another risk for Trump is a strong showing from Haley, who has emerged as his biggest threat if the polls are taken seriously.
Should she secure the second spot, it could establish her as a clear alternative to Trump and give her a boost in New Hampshire, analysts say.
“We will have a strong performance in Iowa and use that momentum in New Hampshire,” Haley campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said Saturday.
She declined to quantify how close they planned to get to Trump on Monday.