Vivek: Establishment Isn't Going to Let Biden or Trump Get Anywhere Near the Finish Line in 2024
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy predicted that neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump will be elected in 2024 because the “establishment” won’t let them.
“If you really think ‘they’ are going to let either Trump or Biden get anywhere near the finish line, open your eyes folks. There’s something deeper going on. It’s staring us right in the face,” Ramaswamy posted on social media platform X Dec. 22.
If you really think “they” are going to let either Trump or Biden get anywhere near the finish line, open your eyes folks. There’s something deeper going on. It’s staring us right in the face.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 22, 2023
The businessman was later asked during a Newsmax interview who “they” are.
“The ‘they’ refers to the permanent state, the establishment. It’s not Republicans versus Democrats,” Ramaswamy answered.
“If you look at here the very people who are paying for lawsuits to keep Trump off the ballot, from the Reid Hoffmans to the Larry Finks of the world. Just follow the money. See who they’re actually putting up this time around. It’s far more devious,” he added.
If you really think “they” are going to let either Trump or Biden get anywhere near the finish line, wake up folks. There’s something ugly brewing & it’s staring us in the face. pic.twitter.com/p9G5QcSN6U
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 23, 2023
“I used to think they were going to sideline Biden for Gavin Newsom or Michelle Obama. It’s far more insidious than that,” Ramaswamy said.
He argued that the “permanent, pro-war establishment” wants someone “who’s going to keep that war machine humming” to serve as president.
Ramaswamy offered that their interest is “making money off the military-industrial complex and worse.”
The candidate also posted a caption with the Newsmax video clip writing, “[W]ake up folks. There’s something ugly brewing & it’s staring us in the face.”
The Newsmax host asked, “If not Trump, if not Biden, then who is it going to be?”
Ramaswamy suggested indirectly, by referencing Hoffman and Fink, that GOP candidate Nikki Haley is at least one candidate “they” would accept.
Billionaire LinkedIn founder Hoffman contributed $250,000 to the pro-Haley super PAC SFA Fund Inc., The New York Times reported.
In a Dec. 5 LinkedIn post, Hoffman wrote, “While I am a staunch supporter of Biden and hope he will win a second term, I also provided financial support to Nikki Haley’s super PAC even though some polls show Haley doing better than Trump in a general election against Biden.”
“[M]y first priority is to defeat Trump, and the primary is the first of two chances to do so,” he added. “Sadly, if Trump is the nominee, he will have a coin-flip chance of winning.”
“I agree with [JPMorgan Chase CEO] Jamie Dimon’s recent comments that Democrats should support Haley in the primary and Biden in the general election,” Hoffman wrote.
Hoffman also helped fund E. Jean Carrol’s civil lawsuit against Trump in New York City that she said stemmed from an incident in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.
The suit resulted in a judgement against the former president in May for defamation and “sexually abusing and forcibly touching.”
During the fourth Republican presidential primary debate in December, Ramaswamy said Fink, the billionaire CEO of BlackRock investment management company, was supporting Haley’s campaign, CNBC reported.
Fink responded in a LinkedIn post the next day, saying, “Despite multiple claims in the debate to the contrary, I haven’t endorsed any candidate for president this year.”
“I’ve met with at least five of the candidates in this campaign cycle. I meet with policy makers all the time to understand the implications for our clients. That’s my job,” he added.
The CEO did not mention whether he had financially supported the Haley super PAC or campaign. OpenSecrets does not show any direct contributions from Fink.
It’s not clear that either Hoffman or Fink is helping fund the efforts to keep Trump off the ballot.
Fourteenth Amendment disqualification cases brought in Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have been dismissed, while cases in about a dozen other states are still pending, according to the website Lawfare. Only the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled to bar Trump from the ballot, but that was nullified when election officials announced he would appear on the ballot as the case goes to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a Dec. 27 post on X, Ramaswamy wrote, “Earnest conservatives who say ‘I just want to beat Biden’ are being played. The real puppet masters are playing 3D chess. There’s something far more cynical underway & it’s hiding in plain sight.”
Earnest conservatives who say “I just want to beat Biden” are being played. The real puppet masters are playing 3D chess. There’s something far more cynical underway & it’s hiding in plain sight. https://t.co/G8EWostYcv
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 27, 2023
The post included a video clip, apparently at a campaign event, in which Ramaswamy said, “They’re not going to let Trump get anywhere near the White House.”
“They want it to be a two-horse race. Eliminate [Trump]. Put up actually a Trojan Horse within the Republican Party that keeps the war machine humming and keeps the restrictions on speech and the censorship agenda.”
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