United States Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, on Monday suspended his campaign, throwing his support behind former President Donald Trump.
The development came after he fell short at Monday’s Iowa Caucuses.
Ramaswamy, however, chose to endorse Trump, who kickstarted his bid to win his party’s presidential nomination, cruising to an easy victory in the lead off contest in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating calendar.
He had garnered roughly 8 per cent support among caucus goers, trailing behind both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley who finished second and third, respectively, at roughly 20 per cent.
In a post on his X handle on Tuesday, Ramsaswamy announced suspension of his campaign, telling supporters his campaign was “founded on speaking the truth not just when it’s easy but when it’s hard.”
While announcing the suspension of his presidential campaign, Ramsaswamy disclosed that he had called Donald Trump to lend his support.
According to him, he will do everything he could to make sure Trump emerges as the next U.S. President, saying he was enormously proud of the team, movement, and country.
“It is true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight.
“Earlier tonight, I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory. And now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency,” he said.
Trump exceeded expectations and shattered contested caucus records, securing more than 50 per cent of the vote.
Before now, Trump himself had appeared threatened by Ramaswamy in the late stages of the race, attacking him on Truth Social within days of the Iowa Caucuses.
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“This entire campaign is about speaking the TRUTH. We did not achieve our goal tonight & we need an America-First patriot in the White House. The people spoke loud & clear about who they want. Tonight I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Donald J. Trump and will do everything I can to make sure he is the next U.S. President. I am enormously proud of this team, this movement, and our country,” Ramsaswamy’s post on X read.
