Vivek Ramaswamy Is Tearing Republicans Apart

Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has sparked discussion after attacking Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel during the third GOP primary debate.

Speaking on stage in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, the entrepreneur spent most of the debate going after the four other Republican presidential hopefuls who took part in the debate: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

During his opening remarks, Ramaswamy suggested McDaniel is the reason the GOP has become "a party of losers" and that there is a "cancer" in the Republican establishment. Ramaswamy cited recent election results, including last year's midterms and Tuesday night's polls, where the Republican party saw a number of significant defeats.

"Since Ronna McDaniel took over as chairwoman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022, [the] red wave that never came. We got trounced last night in 2023," Ramaswamy said. "And I think that we have to have accountability in our party. For that matter, Ronna, if you want to come on stage tonight, you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you resign, I will yield my time to you."

Speaking to CNN after the debate, McDaniel said that "infighting" within the GOP is "not helping" the party while dismissing the attack from Ramaswamy.

"I'm not running for president so I'm not in this primary," she said. "We lost races in 2022 because of vitriol within our party. We need every Republican and then some to win elections. And the Republican voters want to hear us talk about the border, fentanyl, Israel, our kids, crime, inflation, and they want to see us take on Joe Biden."

Ramaswamy and the RNC have been contacted for further comment via email.

During his White House bid, Ramaswamy has been criticized, especially by his fellow Republican primary challengers, over his apparent over-the-top rhetoric and reliance on soundbites over serious policies.

However, his comments regarding McDaniel did receive some support online from conservative figures.

Sharing a clip of Ramaswamy on X, formerly Twitter, Turning Point USA founder and political commentator Charlie Kirk posted: "When an NFL team keeps losing games, the coach gets fired. So why does the RNC keep going to war led by the same losers who failed last time?"

Conservative political strategist Joey Mannarino said Ramaswamy "torched" McDaniel with his calls for her to resign, adding: "This was the best debate opening I've ever heard. Ever."

William Shipley, an attorney who has represented defendants charged over the January 6 attack, wrote: "I tip my hat to him. A brilliant start. That is an internal fight that needs to be had for the party to move forward. I still don't think he's POTUS material, but he was willing to pour gas on the fire in a good way."

There were also reports that McDaniel called Ramaswamy an "a******" during the debate who "won't be getting a cent" from the RNC.

In response to the unverified claims, Tyler Bowyer, an RNC national committeeman from Arizona, posted on X: "I don't think it's appropriate for the Chair to be saying she will withhold money from a potential nominee. I also don't think she should be booing candidates in general at debates.

"I hope this is not true, but I'm not surprised having witnessed this type of behavior before. (Btw, the RNC doesn't have very much money right now)."

Elsewhere, former South Carolina Governor Haley called Ramaswamy "scum" on the debate stage after he used her daughter's use of TikTok as a line of attack on Wednesday night.

President Joe Biden's campaign also used Ramaswamy's "we've become a party of losers" line against him and the GOP by sharing the comments on social media.