Campaign

Ramaswamy on possibility of job in Trump administration: ‘I’m not a Plan B person’

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy addresses the Family Research Council's Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, September 15, 2023.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pushed back on the prospect of taking a job in the Trump administration if the former president takes back the White House in 2024, saying he is “not a Plan B person.”

Asked on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo if he would be willing to take a job in the Trump administration should the election go that way, Ramaswamy said, “Frankly, I think that I’m not a Plan B person.”

“I didn’t get to where I am — I’m 38 years old, I’ve founded multiple multibillion dollar companies, we’re blessed with the American dream to be able to sell finance and lift this presidential campaign up,” Ramaswamy continued. “I didn’t get where I am, [Apoorva Ramaswamy] didn’t get to where she is by being ‘Plan B people,’ and so I’m actually confident we’re going to overdeliver massively at the Iowa caucus.”

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, has repeatedly praised former President Trump on his own campaign trail, prompting speculation he’s vying for a spot as vice president on Trump’s ticket. Calling Trump “the best president of the 21st century,” Ramaswamy has vowed to pardon the former president if elected to the White House.

In August, Trump suggested Ramaswamy would be “very good” as a potential vice president.

Despite a brief surge in the GOP primary polls in the summer, Ramaswamy has struggled to keep any significant momentum, losing support in recent months. Analysis as of Sunday by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill found Trump’s lead remains strong, holding 63.9 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trails behind at 11.1 percent, while former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley sits at 10.4 percent. Ramaswamy sits in the single digits, with about 4.2 percent of the GOP primary vote.

While Ramaswamy on Sunday appeared optimistic for the Iowa caucuses next month, polling currently shows him in fourth place in the Hawkeye State while Trump maintains his strong lead. The Iowa caucuses will take place Jan. 15 and formally kick off the 2024 voting season.

“And so you mark my words on this: I think we’re going to have a major surprise on Jan. 15. I respect Trump and his accomplishments for this country. Unlike a lot of other candidates, I’m not sitting here Monday morning quarterbacking some decision he made, but I believe we are the right people to take our America-first agenda to the next level,” Ramaswamy said. “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.”