Republican Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Welcomes Other Candidates Who ‘Come with a Vision’ into Primary Field

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire – Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy welcomes more candidates into the primary field so long as they are compelled by a real vision for the country rather than personal motivations.

Ramaswamy barnstormed New Hampshire on Wednesday following the launch of his campaign on Tuesday night, in which he said America is amid a “national identity crisis” and needs a revival of “American Exceptionalism.” On the trail Wednesday afternoon, he caught up with a handful of reporters at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester, a staple stop for presidential candidates stumping in the Granite State.

Breitbart News asked the candidate exactly what ideals the country needs to return to and if he thinks voters will be receptive to his message of identity.

“Absolutely. We’ll see if I’m right about that, but I wouldn’t be running for president if I didn’t believe this was the message for our moment,” he said. “I think the American moment demands an answer to the question of individual identity. What does it mean to be a citizen of a nation, and what does it mean to be a citizen of this nation? That’s the whole ball game right now. That’s the whole ball game in this campaign, but I think that’s the whole ball game of where this country’s at too… Rediscover what America is; that’s the real question.”

Ramaswamy marks the third Republican candidate to officially enter the race along with former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and former President Donald Trump. As former Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has been widely talked about as a potential candidate, and others such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Vice President Mike Pence are reportedly mulling runs, Breitbart News asked the candidate if he thinks a larger field and exchange of ideas benefits the GOP.

“It depends. All of them are friends… I consider them friends certainly,” he said, referring to those listed above. “It depends on whether they’re willing to bring ideas to the table or not, whether they’re willing to bring vision.”

“I think somebody… saying, ‘Oh, I did this, and I did that, and I’m this race and that gender, and I kick with sneakers, and I kick with heels,’ that’s not useful,” said Ramaswamy seemingly taking a shot at Haley’s rhetoric in her announcement video.

“If you’re coming with a vision for the country, and a competing vision where we’re actually able to have that debate, great, that’s going to be good,” he said. “I think a bunch of people getting in on the basis of ego because they feel like they have nothing else to do or that’s the next natural step in their career trajectory, no, I don’t think that’s useful, I think its noise.”

“So that’s my challenge. If you’re going to get in the race, come with a vision. It doesn’t have to be my vision; that will be good for this process. If you’re going to come up and show up about self-congratulatory, self-laudatory biographical pitches, find something else to do, please, because it’s not going to be useful in this race,” he continued.

Later, when asked if he sees it as an advantage that he could be potentially the lone political outsider in the field, he exclusively told Breitbart News, “I hadn’t really thought of that,” but added, “I think it probably is true.”