Vivek Ramaswamy drops out of US Prez race, endorses Donald Trump

New Delhi, January 16

Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the two Indians seeking the Republican Party ticket for this November’s US presidential elections, has dropped out of the race after finishing last in the first primary held in Iowa and declared his support to Donald Trump. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley is the other Indian-origin aspirant who finished third behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis while Trump swept the poll with over 50 per cent vote.

Haley vows to continue campaign

• Nikki Haley, who found herself at the third place in Iowa primary, has vowed to continue her campaign. In New Hampshire, opinion polls showed Haley is within striking distance of Trump but Ramaswamy’s crossover can provide Trump with a more comfortable cushion.

Indian-origin leader hailed by trump

He (Ramaswamy) did a hell of a job. He came from zero, and he has a big per cent. Donald Trump, Ex-US President

“There is no path for me to be the next President. I think we are skating on thin ice as a nation. We have done everything on our part to save this country. We’re a campaign founded on truth. I’m also making the decision that there has to be an America-first candidate in the White House,’’ announced Ramaswamy to his supporters at the end of the Republican Party’s first primary held in Iowa.

“He thought he was going to shock the world in Iowa and he kept saying that. It turns out he only shocked himself after finishing fourth with 7.7 per cent,” said a TV commentator while analysing that Ramaswamy had basically “bought himself into politics” by spending $17 million on his campaign so far. “I think it worked well enough. Now, a lot of people know him,” he added. The Republican campaign now moves to New Hampshire where Ramaswamy will appear on stage with Donald Trump.

Trump won 20 out of the 40 delegates from Iowa with 56,250 votes while DeSantis was second with less than 24,000 votes.

Haley and DeSantis have vowed to continue their campaigns. In New Hampshire, opinion polls showed Haley is within striking distance of Trump but Ramaswamy’s crossover could provide the former US President with a more comfortable cushion. Haley has positioned herself as “the last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare” and accused both of lacking a vision for the country’s future because “both are consumed by the past, by investigations, by vendettas, by grievances.”