6 names on Donald Trump's VP shortlist
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy, 38, was another one of Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination before dropping out after the Iowa caucuses. Unlike all other candidates on the shortlist, Ramaswamy has never held elected office. Like Gabbard, Ramaswamy would become the first Hindu vice president if elected.
Ramaswamy attended Catholic school growing up. He has an entrepreneurial background, creating Roivant Sciences in 2014 and Strive Asset Management in 2022. Additionally, he has authored two books. His first book, Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam, was written in 2021. He wrote his second book, Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence, in 2022.
In an op-ed written for The Wall Street Journal, Ramaswamy highlighted his goal to "revive merit in every aspect of American life" by eliminating "affirmative action across the American economy" and restoring "merit for who gets to come to America" by overhauling the U.S. immigration system.
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Ramaswamy has also lamented the prevalence of the "modern woke agenda" in American politics and culture, suggesting that the philosophy amounts to a religion. In a speech at CPAC 2023, Ramaswamy elaborated on what he called the "three secular religions that have America in a chokehold."
The former candidate condemned the "woke, racial religion that says your identity is based on your skin color," the idea that "the sex of the person you're attracted to has to be hardwired on the day you were born," while "your own biological sex is completely fluid over the course of your lifetime" and the "climate religion" that encourages the uprooting of American life to address the threat posed by climate change.
He suggested that these ideologies stem from a "national identity crisis" and called for a "national revival."
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
