‘Not a Plan B Person,’ Ramaswamy Says on Rejecting the Idea of Joining Trump Administration

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 28, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he is not a “plan B” kind of guy, when asked about the possibility of taking a job in a possible second Trump administration.

In an appearance on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Mr. Ramaswamy said he was focusing on his presidential campaign, despite trailing the Republican frontrunner former President Donald Trump.

“I think that I’m not a plan B person,” Mr. Ramaswamy said. “I didn’t get to where I am—I’m 38 years old, I’ve found multiple multi-billion dollar companies, we’re blessed with the American dream to be able to self-fiance and lift this campaign up.”

“I didn’t get to where I am, and Apoorva didn’t get to where she is by being ‘plan B people,’” he added, referring to his wife Apoorva Ramaswamy.

Mr. Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, expressed confidence going into the Iowa caucus, which is scheduled on Jan. 15.

“So I’m actually confident we’re going to overdeliver massively at the Iowa caucus,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.

“Many of the people supporting us are first-time caucus-goers, some of them young people, some of them America-first patriots or libertarians who haven’t thought of themselves as traditional Republicans who are coming out in droves,” he added. “I think we’re going to have a major surprise on January 15.”

There’s been speculation that Mr. Ramaswamy could be President Trump’s running mate for 2024. In August, President Trump indicated that he was open to the idea of having Mr. Ramaswamy as a potential vice president.

Also in August, Mr. Ramaswamy praised the former president as “the best president of the 21st century,” during the first GOP presidential debate in Milwaukee.

“I respect Trump and his accomplishments for this country,” he said. “Unlike a lot of the other candidates, I’m not sitting here Monday morning quarterbacking some decision he made.”

If elected, Mr. Ramaswamy believes he would be well-suited to lead the country.

“But I believe we are the right people to take our America-first agenda to the next level. I think it’s going to take somebody with fresh legs. Somebody from the next generation if I may say it to lead the next generation,” he said. “I believe we will be successful in this.”

It is not the first time that Mr. Ramaswamy has made such a remark about himself.

In November, during a podcast interview with Patrick Bet-David, host of Valuetainment, Mr. Ramaswamy also said he was not a “plan B person,” when asked about the prospect of being President Trump’s vice president.

“I’m not a plan B person,” Mr. Ramaswamy said. “I didn’t get to where I am in life by having plan A goals and then setting up your bifurcated backup plans on the important things.”

“When you’re guided by your mission and purpose, and you set out and you accomplish plan A. If you fail, then you figure out then,” he added. “I think it would be fake to just sort of say, ‘Under any Scenario, I’m not gonna run in 2028’ or ‘I’m not going to, you know, if I don’t win or whatever.’”

Despite Mr. Ramaswamy’s optimism, he recently finished fourth in the latest Emerson College poll in Iowa. The poll, conducted from Dec. 15 to Dec. 17, found Mr. Ramaswamy with 8 percent of support, trailing President Trump (50 percent), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (17 percent), and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (15 percent).

A national poll released by Echelon Insights, conducted from Dec. 12 to Dec. 16, found President Trump in a commanding lead with 70 percent of support, with Ms. Haley in second place with 10 percent. Mr. DeSantis finished in third place with 9 percent, followed by Mr. Ramaswamy with 5 percent.

In a head-to-head matchup, President Trump defeated Ms. Haley 76 percent to 20 percent.

However, President Trump picked up 47 percent of support, trailing President Joe Biden by one percentage point in a two-way matchup.