Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced Monday that he is ending his 2024 presidential campaign after finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses.
Ramaswamy won 7.7% of the vote, with 95% of the ballots counted, the Associated Press reported. Former President Donald Trump won with 51%, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished second with 21.2%. Nikki Haley is in third place with 19.1%.
When the results came in, Ramaswamy said he called Trump to congratulate him, NBC News reported. He plans to attend a rally with Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
“In this race America must be the first candidate,” Ramaswamy said in Des Moines. “He will have my full support for president going forward.”
Donald Trump wins the Iowa caucus, securing the party’s first victory in 2024.
The 38-year-old tech entrepreneur first entered the race in February 2023, announcing his decision during an appearance on Tucker Carlson tonight and in the subsequent one The Wall Street Journal editorial.
“To put America first, we must rediscover what America is. That’s why I’m running for president,” Ramaswamy wrote in his op-ed. “I’m launching not just a political campaign, but a cultural movement to create a new American dream—one that’s not just about money, but about the unquestioning pursuit of excellence.”
What to know about Vivek Ramaswamy, the anti-revival entrepreneur who just entered the 2024 presidential race.
In the months since, Ramaswamy has garnered headlines for being outspoken against companies using their platforms for social causes and criticizing things like critical race theory, self-victimization and efforts to stop climate change.
Ramaswamy also criticized America’s diversity programs, arguing that they only accentuate differences between people.
These views were the topic of his 2021 The New York Times best selling book, Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Fraudand its sequel in 2022. A Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Road Back to Excellence.
Vivek Ramaswamy in June 2023.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty
The Ohio native founded many multibillion-dollar technology and healthcare companies after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard and earning a law degree from Yale, according to his biography page on Strive.com.
Nikki Haley slams Vivek Ramaswamy after he brings her daughter out at GOP debate: ‘You’re just scum’
Strive Asset Management, Ramaswamy’s “anti-activism fund company,” announced in September that it manages more than $1 billion in assetsa milestone that comes after two former company employees just sued the candidate and his co-founder, accusing them of mistreating staff and pressuring them to violate securities laws.
Although new to the political arena, Ramaswamy made headlines during his campaign for sparring with Haley.
During one campaign debate, Ramaswamy called out Haley for allowing her 25-year-old daughter Rena to use TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media platform that has become a hot topic in the Republican Party over national security concerns, which the former South Carolina governor has replied, “You’re just scum.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education