The crowd at the Libertarian National Convention booed former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Friday at times he mentioned former President Donald Trump during his appeal to those in attendance.
It’s a possible sign that Trump, who is scheduled to speak at the Washington, D.C., event Saturday, may not be received with open arms at a convention in which his campaign is hoping to attract some party defectors with his address.
The onetime Republican presidential hopeful was met with boos moments after he mentioned Trump’s name in an attempt to ask those at the convention, “Do you want to influence the next administration or don’t you?”
The crowd also emphatically shouted “no” when Ramaswamy asked if they would “agree with him on 100% of what he says,” and he was booed himself when he suggested only the Republican or Democratic nominee could win the White House.
He told the crowd to “dream on” in a reference to Aerosmith’s hit song, shedding doubt on whether a third-party candidate could get elected. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the most notable third-party candidate this election cycle, spoke before Ramaswamy.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner after the rude reception, Ramaswamy said, “I think that it’s a historic moment that you have somebody of a major political party, nominee Donald Trump, coming tomorrow and myself having run for the Republican nomination being here today.
“I think it’s a good thing … and a beautiful moment for the country,” he added. “I think we’re making history, and the way we’re gonna save this country is through more open dialogue. That’s the answer.”
A Libertarian delegate from Arizona told Politico that Trump “could get booed offstage.” Another Libertarian screamed into a microphone that he “would like to propose that we go tell Donald Trump to go f*** himself” to cheers.
The party appears divided on their invitation to Trump, but Libertarian National Committee Chairwoman Angela McArdle supports his appearance.
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“President Trump, or at least his team, perceive themselves as needing our votes,” McArdle said. “They’re willing to come and speak to us, to listen to us. That’s really unprecedented. Why wouldn’t we take that opportunity?”
The 2020 Libertarian presidential nominee, Jo Jorgensen, received 1.18% of the popular vote, and the 2016 nominee, Gary Johnson, received 3.28%.
