Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy warned playing identity politics is not worth sacrificing American unity as two of the country’s top political figures fire up tribal warfare.
Identity-charged campaigning has become a major part of the political discourse during the 2024 presidential campaign of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump made headlines this week after launching an attack questioning Harris’s bi-racial roots. Harris supporters recently hosted a “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call that excited Democratic donors while drawing criticisms about segregation from Republicans.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), has been criticized for comments he made about women and views on non-white immigrants influencing the U.S.
And both of the major presidential contenders have made no secret of the fact that they’re in dueling bids to gain chunks of the black and Hispanic vote.
As an Indian American, Ramaswamy issued a rousing endorsement of Trump after he dropped his challenge against the MAGA leader. Despite getting passed over as Trump’s running mate, the entrepreneur has been a zealous advocate for Trump and the party.
But even as he cheered on Trump during a recent Fox News interview, the 38-year-old worried that appealing to voters on the basis of various identities undermines national unity in a bid for votes.
“We’re actually American,” Ramaswamy noted. “I don’t think we should be relying on these ethnic identities at all.”
Although he’s the son of immigrants from India, Ramaswamy said he doesn’t want to watch politicians wielding race and ethnicity as a deciding factor in elections.
“That shouldn’t be how this election is decided one way or another. It should be decided on our own identity as Americans and what our vision is for the future of the country,” the former presidential candidate told the outlet.
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Last week, Ramaswamy voiced similar concerns during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham. At the time, Ramaswamy warned Trump against waging “micro attacks” against Harris. He argued that because Harris “has made identity politics a core part of her personality” it would be hard for Trump to “attack her personally.”
At the time, Ramaswamy said Harris invited “that type of criticism” because she leans into “identity politics.”
