Vivek Ramaswamy

Other, 2023

Ramaswamy has described himself as a "Second Amendment absolutist." When pressed on a podcast about his views, Ramaswamy "said background checks are 'absolutely a legitimate part of the process' but that 'law-abiding' gun ownership 'deters many violent criminals from being able to roam the streets with guns as they do today.'"

Other, 2023

"Ramaswamy’s proposals are among the broadest in the field. Speaking at the America First Policy Institute in Washington, he said he would try to reduce the federal employee headcount by half in his first year in office and by 75% during his first term if he makes it to the White House.

"He wants to shut down five federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Education. He said he would also eliminate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Food and Nutrition Service."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2020

"That’s why we need a 2-term limit for both houses of Congress. Prevents these guys from becoming too beholden."

Candidate's Website, 2023

"In addition to restoring American pride and patriotism, Vivek Ramaswamy recognizes the importance of addressing the divisive issues that are plaguing our society. He believes that we must confront the issue of critical race theory and reject the idea that America is inherently racist. Instead, we should celebrate the diversity of our nation and work to create a society that is truly equal and just for all individuals, regardless of their race or ethnicity."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"The debate between 'tax increases' and 'spending cuts' is misguided. Republicans are playing small-ball: we need to focus more on spawning *GDP growth.* The best defense is offense. Don’t just be cost accountants. Time to unleash the American economy instead, climateism be damned"

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2023

Should the federal government combat inflation by capping price increases by large businesses?

Other, 2023

"'I tend to leave it to the voters,' Ramaswamy said when asked how he feels about this proposal. 'So I think that we should trust the voters of this country when it comes to deciding who actually governs.'

"'I don't favor eliminating people for running for office because I'd rather trust the voters with it,' he told DailyMail.com.

"'It goes for age as well,' he added. 'I've been very consistent on that.'"

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2023

Should the federal government combat inflation by decreasing tariffs on imports from foreign countries?

Other, 2023

In August 2023 Ramaswamy said that he will commit to defending Taiwan only so long as the U.S. is dependent on Taiwan for semiconductors. Specifically he said, "the truth of the matter is there are two reasons why China wants to annex Taiwan. One is to squat on the semiconductor supply chain so they can exert leverage over the United States of America. That's not happening on my watch. I’d take a firm position on that. But the second reason why is that they have unfinished nationalistic business dating back to their civil war in 1949. And if that’s the sole basis for Xi Jinping going after Taiwan after we have semiconductor independence, then you know what? I am not going to send our sons and daughters to die over that conflict."

Other, 2023

Ramaswamy generally opposes any government move that favors electric vehicles. For example, at an event in September 2023 he said, "Take the electric vehicle cult in the United States. I have no problem with the purchase of electric vehicles, but I do have a problem with a subsidized industry that falsely tilts the scales towards China. Those EVs, we depend on them, and depend on China for mineral refining capacity in order to provide those electric vehicles in the United States. When U.S. taxpayers subsidize EVs we are subsidizing the Chines Community Party. Think about the emissions caps. as of 2019, and the trend continues, China emits more carbon, more greenhouse gas emissions than the United States and the rest of the developed world combined by claiming to be a developing nation under the Paris Climate Accords. Yes, that is a farce."

Candidate's Website, 2023

Ramaswamy's "Independence from China" policy does not call for an end to normal trade relations. Instead he states, "The only serious way for us to decouple from Communist China is to expand trade with trusted allies and hemispheric neighbors on fair, bilateral terms. China is America's third-largest trading partner which means that Chinese goods must be replaced by a combination of greater U.S. production and stronger trade relationships with allies."

Other, 2023

"I am a solid defender of qualified immunity, which I know is an issue in this state, which is an issue in so many other states, to make sure cops are able to do their jobs, without having to be constrained in their ability to keep their community safe."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

Ramaswamy has been a vocal opponent of transgender rights. For example, in 2023 he tweeted, "I will end this madness as the next U.S. President: gender dysphoria is a mental health disorder and we must treat it accordingly."

Other, 2023

"The wealthy biotech entrepreneur and author of 'Woke, Inc.' has said he would not support a federal ban on abortion because 'the federal government should stay out of it.' He has voiced support for states that have passed six-week bans."

Other, 2023

"The wealthy biotech entrepreneur and author of 'Woke, Inc.' has said he would not support a federal ban on abortion because 'the federal government should stay out of it.' He has voiced support for states that have passed six-week bans."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"End electric vehicle subsidies. Stop measuring CO2 emissions. Drill. Frack. Burn coal.

"The climate emperor has no clothes."

Other, 2023

Ramaswamy has not specifically addressed his position on a minimum age to purchase some firearms.

Generally speaking, he is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment and wrote on Twitter, "Don’t remove guns from law-abiding citizens. Remove violent, psychiatrically deranged people from their communities and be willing to involuntarily commit them. Revive mental health institutions: less reliance on pharmaceuticals, more reliance on faith-based approaches that restore purpose to people’s lives."

However, he is not opposed to some age-based restrictions. Notably, he supports additional requirements for anyone age 18 to 25 who wishes to vote.

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"Here's the way forward on election integrity:

"1. Single Day Voting

"2. Make Election Day a National Holiday

"3. Paper Ballots

"4. Government-issued voter ID matched to the identification on file.

"If we achieve this, I will lead *all Americans* regardless of political party to move beyond the debates about election outcomes or ballot fraud. This is easily doable & should not be controversial."

Other, 2023

"We got to catch up with the times. It's not a popular position in the Republican Party, but I'd just, again, I guess I’m going to speak the truth. Whether you vote for me or not is your choice. I think the time has come to decriminalize it."

Other, 2023

Ramaswamy has does not want to reform Social Security as president. In a February 2023 interview he said, "So I think that we have if I was going to start from scratch, we would not have the system that we do today. That much, I want to be very clear with. However, there’s a reasonable expectation that people in this country ought to have that if the government has made you certain commitments that you have lived your life and paid in as you have over the last number of years in your life, that you can’t just pull that rug out from under them." He added, "I don’t think it’s the job of every U.S. president to try to do everything. I want to make my legacy limited to the areas where I’m making those commitments to the American people. Social Security reform, Medicare reform, that’s got to be somebody else’s job down the line."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"'Building a wall' is not enough. We must use the military to secure our border, annihilate the cartels, and solve the demand-side problem here at home too."

Other, 2023

At a campaign event in May 2023 Ramaswamy said, "I've said that not only will we use the military to secure our own southern border, we will go further. If we can use our military to take out [Osama] bin Laden or [Ayman] al-Zawahiri or [Qasem] Soleimani or ISIS somewhere else in some other part of the world, then we are ready to use our military to annihilate the Mexican drug cartels south of our own border."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"We've already fulfilled our obligations to Ukraine pursuant to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, yet we flagrantly violate James Baker's 1990 "not one inch" commitment to Gorbachev. We're depleting U.S. military resources to dangerously low levels that we need in other conflict situations. We're going out of our way to use U.S. military resources to defend an invasion of someone else's border when we're doing absolutely nothing to stop the cartel-aided invasion across our own southern border right here at home. This makes absolutely no sense until you recognize that the very nation receiving those hundreds of billions of taxpayer resources is one of the most corrupt nations on planet Earth — who also paid millions to Hunter Biden."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2022

"When a nation peaks, its focus shifts from producing wealth to arguing over how to distribute it.

"It was true of Rome once. It’s true of America today. The journey from a nation of underdogs to a nation of victims."

Other, 2023

"I intend to be our next president. And yes, I do believe I will move us forward. And yes, I think one of the right ways to do that is to pardon the former president of the United States from what is clearly a politicized prosecution"

Other, 2023

When asked about Biden's plan to negotiate Medicare prices for prescription drugs, Ramaswamy said, "That narrow action is not super well thought out. The use of the word negotiation is a misnomer, when in fact you’re just negotiating with a single party."

Other, 2023

When asked about Social Security at an event in August 2023, Ramaswamy said that economic growth would keep the program solvent. However, he also expressed some interest in privatization, saying, "Back when we did have a Social Security surplus, it wasn't that long ago, but if we allowed that money to be invested in Social Security in the same way your financial adviser recommend you invest your money in a diversified portfolio, we would be in surplus. It's the bureaucracy that's the source of the problem. And if we don't learn from our mistakes of the past, we're destined to make the same mistakes in the future. That bureaucracy acts as the impediment of American growth. Pare it down and unshackle ourselves to unleash the beast of economy and fix the quirks and get back to a place of surplus and actually allow people to invest in a diversified portfolio that invest including the market so we can catch up and never make this mistake again."

Other, 2023

Ramaswamy has does not want to reform Social Security as president. In a February 2023 interview he said, "So I think that we have if I was going to start from scratch, we would not have the system that we do today. That much, I want to be very clear with. However, there’s a reasonable expectation that people in this country ought to have that if the government has made you certain commitments that you have lived your life and paid in as you have over the last number of years in your life, that you can’t just pull that rug out from under them." He added, "I don’t think it’s the job of every U.S. president to try to do everything. I want to make my legacy limited to the areas where I’m making those commitments to the American people. Social Security reform, Medicare reform, that’s got to be somebody else’s job down the line."

Other, 2023

Ramaswamy has does not want to reform Social Security as president. In a February 2023 interview he said, "So I think that we have if I was going to start from scratch, we would not have the system that we do today. That much, I want to be very clear with. However, there’s a reasonable expectation that people in this country ought to have that if the government has made you certain commitments that you have lived your life and paid in as you have over the last number of years in your life, that you can’t just pull that rug out from under them." He added, "I don’t think it’s the job of every U.S. president to try to do everything. I want to make my legacy limited to the areas where I’m making those commitments to the American people. Social Security reform, Medicare reform, that’s got to be somebody else’s job down the line."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2023

Should the federal government combat inflation by raising taxes to reduce the budget deficit?

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"Here's the way forward on election integrity:

"1. Single Day Voting

"2. Make Election Day a National Holiday

"3. Paper Ballots

"4. Government-issued voter ID matched to the identification on file.

"If we achieve this, I will lead *all Americans* regardless of political party to move beyond the debates about election outcomes or ballot fraud. This is easily doable & should not be controversial."

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2023

Should the federal government combat inflation by repealing or revising the Jones Act to allow more foreign involvement in shipping between U.S. ports?

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2021

"It’s time to amend Section 230.

"Either you operate like a normal company, without the federal blanket of immunity, or you agree to abide by the First Amendment in return for that immunity.

"Tech companies can’t have it both ways."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"Biden’s student loan forgiveness disaster is effectively a regressive tax disguised as a progressive policy. Barely over 1/3 Americans get a 4-year degree, yet Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan forces every citizen to pay for anti-American gender-studies majors. It’s a scam. It’s also a symptom of what the U.S. Dept of Education does every day: tilting the scales in the wrong direction. That’s why I will *shut it down.*"

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"The Federal Reserve has been trying to play God for too long. The Phillips Curve is an academic myth & the 'tradeoff' between employment & inflation is artificial. I’ll put the Fed back in its place and will drastically limit the scope of the Fed."

Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023

"End electric vehicle subsidies. Stop measuring CO2 emissions. Drill. Frack. Burn coal.

"The climate emperor has no clothes."