Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the leading Republican presidential candidates, explained on Sunday why he would support former President Donald Trump as the party nominee, even if he gets convicted.
Ramaswamy appeared on ABC News’ “This Week” and spoke with host George Stephanopoulos, relating to Trump’s ongoing legal battles and his presidential campaign.
“I’m asking why you made the promise. Why do you think it’s okay for a convicted felon to be president?” Stephanopoulos pressed Ramaswamy.
“So look. I think that many of these prosecutions against Donald Trump are outright, downright politicized persecutions through prosecution that set an awful precedent for our country. I do not want to see us become a banana republic where the administrative police state uses police force to eliminate opponents from competition. That’s not the way it works. I will pick who I believe the best next president should be,” Ramaswamy said.
“I’m in this race because I believe I can lead us forward and reunite this country, but if it’s not me as the nominee, I still expect that Donald Trump or whoever the Republican nominee is will be better than the alternative, and I care about what actually moves this nation forward,” he added.
Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old businessman, sits in third place, well behind Trump, and closely behind second-place candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in national polls for the Republican primary, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Ramaswamy received significant attention after the first primary debate in August due in no small part to his exchanges with several other participating parties, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Ramaswamy was one of the few to raise his hand during the debate when Fox News’ Bret Baier asked the candidates if they would support Trump as the party’s nominee regardless of conviction.
Trump has been indicted four times on more than 100 counts by federal prosecutors and Democratic district attorneys in New York City and Fulton County, Georgia.
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