Vivek Ramaswamy is backed by Donald Trump in the Ohio election
Vivek Ramaswamy’s victory in the Ohio Republican primary sparked a wave of reactions across the US political spectrum, with supporters of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement celebrating his victory while online commentators debated his Indian roots.The Indian-American businessman is a close ally of President Donald Trump and secured the Republican nomination for governor of Ohio after defeating fellow Republican Casey Butch in the primary on Tuesday, according to projected results.The coup is known for its anti-H1-B stance and its push for Christian traditions and values within the country.Speaking at his victory ceremony, Ramaswamy said his focus would be on rebuilding the state.
He told his supporters that his goal was to “leave this state and this country better than we found it.” Ramaswamy often mentions America’s Founding Fathers in his speeches, along with the ideas they proposed.He will now face Democratic nominee Amy Acton in November, the former Ohio public health director who ran unopposed in the primary. Acton told supporters she wants to ease financial pressure on working families.
Ramaswamy’s win was well noted within the MAGA movement. The US President praised him in a series of posts on social media, describing him as “distinguished.”“I know Vivek very well, I competed with him, and he is something special. He is young, strong and smart!” Trump wrote.Vice President J.D. Vance also showed his support by personally voting for Ramaswamy in Cincinnati on Tuesday.The result reinforces Ramaswamy’s status as a rising figure in the MAGA movement, after he first gained national attention during his 2024 presidential bid.
Although he dropped out early, he remained a prominent Trump supporter and later helped with efforts associated with the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative alongside billionaire Elon Musk.However, the win also sparked heated online comments from far-right influencers, exposing divisions within conservative circles.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer posted on X: “Your daily reminder that X is not reality and that Woke Reich losers have no real impact in the real world.”She added: “Congratulations to Vivek Ramaswamy, a brown Indian American, who is more America First than any of the bigoted assholes who said he shouldn’t be allowed to hold office just because he’s brown.”Loomer is known for her hard-line anti-immigration and anti-Islam views. “This is a cancer on the Republican Party, and I’m glad voters rejected this ‘Walk Reich’ nonsense. It’s disgusting. It has to stop,” she wrote.
Separately, right-wing commentator Nick Fuentes also weighed in, saying Ramaswamy cannot become governor while suggesting tactical voting in the general election to not let him win.“We have to hold our noses, and we have to vote Democratic,” Fuentes said.“So what’s the alternative? Well, not everyone will like it. But in November there will be two candidates who could win the ballot in Ohio, Acton on the Democratic side and Ramaswamy on the Republican side,” he added.He also said Republicans would have to choose a Democrat in Ohio: “If it can’t be Ramaswamy, I think you know what it has to be.
So I will invite everyone who goes to Ohio and we will give people a choice. You have a choice: stay home. “But if you really want to make a difference and help, hold your nose… vote Democrat.”Fuentes has previously made racist remarks about immigration and Indian communities in the United States. Social media users often call him a “white supremacist” and a “Nazi.” He also says that there is an “Indian invasion” taking place in the United States and that it is “ruining the lives” of Americans.
