Republican 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has taken aim at former President Donald Trump over a number of issues, including his handling of the border and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Ramaswamy argued that Trump could have ended Executive Order 11246 “with the stroke of a pen” but failed to do so. The order, signed in 1965, mandates “race-based quotas” for government contractors, Ramaswamy said, who has made repealing the order a major component of his campaign, according to the New York Post.
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The biotech millionaire also took issue with how Trump handled the border.
“He had a chance to use military force against the cartels — didn’t do it,” Ramaswamy said. “I would prioritize … the use of the US military to secure our border. That includes using the military to decimate the cartels, the way you would treat terrorists like Soleimani or Bin Laden.”
Ramaswamy also argued that Trump should have fired Fauci from his position, arguing that the doctor “seized authority that no statute or the constitution gave him.”
Despite his numerous criticisms of the former president, Ramaswamy insisted that Trump is “a friend” and genuinely believes “he cares about national unity.”
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Ramaswamy’s comments on Trump come as the Republican lineup for the 2024 presidential election is expected to grow. If elected president, Ramaswamy said he intends to abolish both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Education, saying the latter “has no reason to exist.”
As of early March 2023, Nikki Haley is the only top-tier Republican besides Ramaswamy and Trump to announce her candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. President Joe Biden still has yet to announce if he will seek reelection next year.
