Meet the Indian-Americans who are stirring Republican primary race – Times of India

NEW DELHI: American politics is passing through a “suspension of disbelief” phase.

It all started with Barack Obama in 2009 when he took oath as the first ever African-American president of the United States. He became the first black occupant of the White House – an improbable but epochal event, even for US standards.
Next came Donald Trump, a total outsider. Few took him seriously when he announced his decision to run for the US presidency.

Defying all predictions, Trump went on to become the 45thUS President in 2017.
Many expected the Trump chapter to be closed and over when he lost to Joe Biden in the next US presidential elections, especially in the wake of Capitol riots on January 6. But, Trump is again defying predictions and expectations. As of now, he is the Republican frontrunner to challenge Joe Biden for the second time.

Like Trump, another political novice is stirring American politics and heating up the Republican primary race. Meet Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy who has catapulted himself to third place in the Republican race.
Ramaswamy as Trump’s vice-president candidate?
Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is working to convince more voters that he could be their nominee and — as much as he said he respects Donald Trump — would be a better 2024 candidate and president.

At a town hall in rural Iowa, a women asked Ramaswamy: “I know you want to be president. But would you consider being Trump’s vice president?”. The query drew light laughter from attendees and a lengthy response from Ramaswamy. (The short answer: No). He went on to add that he and Trump have one thing in common – that neither of them do well in the no.2 position.

‘Climate cult’ & identity politics
Ramaswamy has infamously called climate activism a “religious cult,” but his provocative rhetoric is indeed heating up the US Republican primary contest. He has also made his firm stand against the “woke” ideology of the American left his signature policy issue. “We are in the middle of a national identity crisis,” he said darkly, accusing the country’s elites of metastasizing a “cultural cancer” – particularly when it comes to LGBTQ issues. (Watch from 3:00 minutes to 4:24 minutes)

A proud Hindu
Ramaswamy wears his Hindu faith on his sleeve and believes that US is ready to pick a leader who believes in God, irrespective of the religion the individual represents. He also said that his Hindu values seem to resonate with Christian and Jewish audiences too. “The lessons learned being Hindu were similar and in many ways overlapping with Judeo-Christian values like sacrifice, performing your duty without attachment to the results and believing that your work on this Earth is not being done by you, but through you,” he said. (Watch from 13:38 minutes)

Pro-life stance
Ramaswamy is also pro-life, which means that he holds a conservative view on abortion rights. He said that he was exposed to Christian influences through his education at St Xavier Catholic High School, which notably shaped his staunch anti-abortion stance.

‘Truth campaign’
Ramaswamy is preparing for the first presidential debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 23. He said that his strategy heading into the debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is “speak the truth.” He also believes that the truth must come out about issues like Covid-19, Joe Biden’s son Hunter and January 6 Capitol Riots. (Watch from 05:28 minutes)

Haley takes on former boss
Ramaswamy is not the only Indian-American candidate who has thrown his hat into the ring for a Republican nomination this year.
Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and Trump’s first ambassador to UN, is also challenging Trump for the White House race and is gearing up for the GOP debate on August 23. In the run up to the debate, Haley is taking on her ex-boss Trump over several issues, especially the war in Ukraine, which is not a “territorial dispute” in her opinion. (Watch from 00:00 minutes to 02:06 minutes)

Will Haley be vice president?
Like Ramaswamy, Haley said that she “doesn’t play for second”. She has asserted that America needs a new generation of leaders and despite pledging her support to Trump “if we wins a Republican nomination”, she said that he can’t win a general election with all the indictments against the former US President. (Watch from 08:10 minutes)

Haley has said that she is not worried about Trump’s popularity in the race and is focused on her own campaign. “Everyone’s panicked over how high Trump’s numbers are. We’re not worried about that. We’re worried about making sure that we are touching as many hands, answering as many questions, doing as many town halls as we possibly can,” she told Axios in an interview.

Hirsh Vardhan Singh: The latest entrant in the fray
Hirsh Vardhan Singh, a 38-year-old engineer from New Jersey, is the latest announce his White House bid. Singh calls himself “pureblood” for never taking a Covid-19 vaccine. A self-professed lifelong Republican, Singh is often described as “Trump on steroids” by rival Democrats.

Singh’s political views are not too far from that of former US President Donald Trump.
His political stance includes standing up against unquote experimental vaccines being pushed by Big Pharma, and against censorship and privacy breaches by Big Tech. Singh also believes that Big Tech is limiting innovations by inviting government control on new technologies like artificial intelligence. He is also pro-life, which means he’s opposed to abortions.