Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party's presidential primaries, has courted several controversies in a short span of time.
Ramaswamy, who has his origins in Vadakkencherry of Palakkad district, is a staunch Trump supporter. His remark that the US government hasn't been entirely honest about the 9/11 attacks has invited a major backlash.
Ramaswamy was born to a Malayali couple on August 9, 1985, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents migrated to the United States from Kerala before he was born. His father, V G Ramaswamy worked at a General Electric plant in Ohio. His mother Geetha is a geriatric psychiatrist.
He graduated from Harvard College and has a law degree from Yale Law School. He worked as an investment banker in the first phase of his career.
He made his wealth from the biotech company he founded in 2014 -- Roivant Sciences. Ramaswamy also co-founded Strive Asset Management, an investment firm in 2022. Strive has positioned itself as an 'anti-woke' and 'anti-ESG' ( environmental, social, and corporate governance) fund.
Ramaswamy's wife Apoorva Ramaswamy, is a physician. They have two sons.
A devout Hindu and vegetarian, Ramaswamy understands both Tamil and Malayalam.
In his 2021 book ‘Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam’, he critiques the so-called work culture in American companies. He claims companies putting their weight behind campaigns against social inequalities is anti-American and would eventually hurt the country's democracy.
His other books are Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence (2022) and Capitalist Punishment: How Wall Street Is Using Your Money to Create a Country You Didn't Vote For (2023).
Primary campaign
According to a Reuters-Ipsos poll, Ramaswamy has the support of 9% of leaders within the Republican party.
Donald Trump is dominating the US Republican presidential nomination contest followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Ramaswamy and former vice-president Mike Pence remain well behind the two front-runners.
Trump supporter
Ramaswamy has vowed to "promptly" pardon indicted former President Donald Trump if elected to the White House next year.
The remarks by Ramaswamy, who is campaigning on 'anti-woke' credentials, came after the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Trump with a 37-count indictment, accusing the former President of risking sensitive security secrets after leaving office in 2021.
In an interview to The New York Post, Ramaswamy also heaped praises on Trump, saying that the former president "sets a high bar". "He's a friend. I know him. I genuinely believe he cares about national unity," Ramaswamy said.
9/11 attack
During a televised interview, Ramaswamy remarked that the US government may not have been entirely honest about the involvement of Saudi Arabia in the 9/11 attacks.
"Do I believe our government has been completely forthright about 9/11? No. Al- Qaeda clearly planned and executed the attacks, but we have never fully addressed who knew what in the Saudi government about it. We *can* handle the TRUTH," he wrote.
