OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump has narrowed down his short list of potential running mates.
Trump called former GOP presidential opponent Vivek Ramaswamy and informed him that he was no longer in the running, but he did say he would consider the entrepreneur for a Cabinet post, the New York Post reported.
Ramaswamy, who initially ran against Trump in the primaries but quickly endorsed him after dropping out following the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, has emerged as a prominent surrogate for the 45th president on the campaign trail.
Bloomberg first reported Ramaswamy’s removal from the vice presidential candidate list, noting him as a candidate for Homeland Security secretary, among other roles.
“There’s a lot of press speculation, but I can tell you Vivek’s top focus is making sure we get President Trump elected so that we can take America First to the next level,” Ramaswamy spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The Post in response to the Bloomberg report.
“This country would be lucky to have him serve in the next administration and beyond. In the meantime, Vivek is focused on driving change in the private sector and reforming our economy, including by continuing to push back against the ESG cancer in corporate America,” she added.
Ramaswamy suspended his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsed Trump after the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.
Ramaswamy, who had no prior political experience when he entered the 2024 race, gained national attention and experienced a brief surge in the polls by advocating popular ideas and repeatedly praising Trump.
Following the caucuses, in which he was projected to place fourth, Ramaswamy declared the suspension of his presidential campaign.
“Indeed, we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight,” Ramaswamy said. “As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign. Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulated him on his victory. And now, going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency.”
In caucus attendees, Ramaswamy garnered approximately 8% of the vote, trailing behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who finished second and third, respectively, with approximately 20% of the vote. In contrast, Trump broke contested caucus records by receiving over 50% of the vote.
Ramaswamy, who entered the race with virtually no name recognition in February of last year, defeated several prominent Republicans, including former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, and former vice president Mike Pence. All of them have since dropped out of the race, too.
Restoring American identity and his call to dismantle the bureaucratic state through a radical reduction in the size of the federal government occupied a significant portion of his campaign.
To distinguish himself from 77-year-old Trump, whom he had frequently hailed as the “greatest president” of all time, the 38-year-old additionally contended that Republicans ought to choose a candidate with “fresh legs.”
Although the Iowa caucuses were not in Ramaswamy’s favor, he did not fail for lack of effort. His political campaign emphasized that he had accomplished the “Full Grassley” feat twice, which entailed a minimum of two visits to each of Iowa’s 99 counties.
And he organized the greatest number of campaign events of any candidate in the Hawkeye State. Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire, funded his campaign in large part by himself.
With the publication of his 2021 book “Woke, Inc.,” the biotech entrepreneur garnered interest within conservative spheres. The book exposed the challenges faced by corporations in the face of social justice movements and identity politics.
However, he began to gain widespread recognition for his exaggerated appearances during the Republican debates, engaging in heated exchanges with several establishment-friendly candidates, most notably Haley, whom he referred to as “corrupt” on a notepad he displayed in a momentary social media meme.
