Exclusive: Vivek Ramaswamy to Debate, Deliver Speech at Libertarian Convention

Entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will deliver remarks at the Libertarian National Convention in two weeks in Washington, DC, and debate one of the party’s vice presidential candidates, Breitbart News has learned.

Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian National Committee, told Breitbart News in an exclusive phone interview that having Ramaswamy at the convention for a debate is “an incredible opportunity for us.”

“From my perspective, as chair of the Libertarian Party, I’m getting my candidate into a debate with the candidate who performed by far the best in the GOP primary debates and who is most closely aligned with the libertarian values, so it’s an incredible opportunity for us,” she emphasized.

“I think it shows how important the libertarian voting bloc is in an upcoming election, and also, how exciting so many people view our ideas,” she added.

The convention will run from May 23 to 26, and the debate will transpire on Friday evening, May 24. According to McArdle, the party will hold its regular vice presidential debate before holding an informal vote online. Whoever is declared the winner by that vote will advance to the debate with the 38-year-old populist firebrand.

“After that debate, Vivek is going to give a special speech to our delegates,” McArdle detailed.

She emphasized that “our guys are definitely going to be practicing in advance of this,” highlighting Ramaswamy’s prowess in the GOP debates.

Ramaswamy said in a statement to Breitbart News, “It’s going to be a pro-American, libertarian-nationalist alliance that saves this country—that starts in 2024.”

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is slated to speak at the convention the next day, May 25:

“We’ve never had anything like this in the history of the party,” she said of Trump and Ramaswamy’s participation in the event. “It shows how important people are viewing the election this year.”

“People see us as potentially the most powerful voting bloc in the country, and they know that it’s important to appeal to our base of voters,” McArdle said. “From my perspective, it’s important for me to move the Overton window in the direction of liberty, so this is the best opportunity that the party has ever had. We’ll see what kind of impact we have. I’m excited.”

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that he will attend as well. His campaign and the party were in talks about an appearance for a while.