Fox News pundit calls Ramaswamy proposal ‘criminally stupid’ and ‘like a freshman foreign policy paper’

Fox News pundit and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen railed against Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s foreign policy proposals, calling them “criminally stupid,” and “utterly disqualifying.”

Thiessen took to social media Monday in response to an article Ramaswamy wrote in The American Conservative centered on how he would approach the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S. relations with China. 

“This by @VivekGRamaswamy is criminally stupid,” Thiessen wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, before quoting one of the lines from Ramaswamy’s piece. 

“Like a freshman foreign policy paper. Utterly disqualifying,” Thiessen continued. 

Thiessen chose a quote from Ramaswamy’s piece centered around the White House hopeful’s vow to accept Russian control of the occupied territories and to block Ukraine’s NATO candidacy “in exchange for Russia exiting its military alliance with China.” Ramaswamy also said he would end sanctions to bring Russia back into the global market and, as a result, “elevate Russia as a strategic check on China’s designs in East Asia.” 

In his post, Ramaswamy signaled he would significantly reduce the United States’s international involvement, writing, “We will be Uncle Sucker no more.” Ramaswamy claimed the U.S. “squandered” its opportunity after the end of the Cold War to remain he world’s lone superpower, instead allowing Russia and China to work together to threaten the nation’s top spot. 

Ramaswamy said he would also plan to visit Moscow as president in 2025 to negotiate terms to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ramaswamy’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war drew criticism from his GOP rivals during last week’s GOP primary debate, when he was the only candidate to raise his hand when moderators asked who would not keep supporting Ukraine.  Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley responded to Ramaswamy’s stance, arguing he has “no foreign policy and it shows.” 

In a post later Monday, Thiessen responded to a post from Ramaswamy on his stance on Taiwan, writing, “Amateur hour. All China hears is: ‘We can invade in 2028.’ This is how world wars get started.”

Touching upon Taiwan in his piece with The American Conservative, Ramaswamy said he would push for “strategic clarity” on defending American interests in Taiwan, in contrast to the current U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity.

China considers Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, to be a part of its sovereign territory and seeks reunification with the island. 

The Hill reached out to Ramaswamy’s campaign for comment.