Vivek Ramaswamy, a great debater, suddenly faces the media buzzsaw

Vivek Ramaswamy is an impressive guy.

The political unknown wound up center stage at last week’s Fox News debate. He has built billion-dollar companies. He raised his profile by doing endless interviews. He’s obviously super smart and is having the time of his life, getting to sit at the big boys’ table.

But his instant celebrity is a double-edged sword. Once a presidential candidate comes seemingly out of nowhere, he runs into a tidal wave of media scrutiny, vetting him as a neophyte who must be held accountable.

That’s what happened on Sunday when Ramaswamy was interrogated on NBC’s "Meet the Press" and CNN’s "State of the Union." Again, he deserves substantial credit for appearing on those programs knowing he would get a grilling, and he proved to be an effective counterpuncher.

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2024 Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has run into a tidal wave of media scrutiny following his up-and-coming role in American politics. (SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)

So when some of my viewers declared that I can’t stand the guy, they are flat wrong. As a journalist, I believe his views – some of which are framed in inflammatory language – should be subjected to aggressive reporting.

CNN’s Dana Bash asked whether Ramaswamy believes White supremacy exists, since he said he’s never encountered it. Rather than offering a simple ‘yes,’ he talked about how all forms of racism are troubling.

Then she spent several minutes challenging him for saying the views of Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley are the modern-day equivalent of the grand wizard of the KKK. 

When an outraged Bash said the Ku Klux Klan was a murderous organization that lynched Black people, Ramaswamy did not disagree, but kept insisting that he didn’t go too far with Pressley because she was judging him by the color of his skin.

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On NBC, Chuck Todd pressed Ramaswamy on the murder of three Black people in Jacksonville, Florida, by a White shooter with a manifesto of racist views.

The candidate said that for "those last burning embers of racism, the last thing I want to do is throw kerosene on it. And yet that's exactly what I believe the modern culture is doing by creating race-based quota systems that deny people access to goods or services based on the color of their skin."

Todd responded by saying, "your argument comes across as blaming those that are trying to create equality for the rise and racism."

Ramaswamy said three times during the debate that the climate change agenda is a "hoax." The fossil-fuels proponent doesn’t deny man-made global warming, but claimed there are almost 100% fewer climate-related deaths than a century ago (which, of course, is largely due to new technology).

Then there are the hints of 9/11 conspiracy theories. 

After denying quotes reported by the Atlantic of Ramaswamy questioning why there were no federal agents on the hijacked planes – the magazine released part of the tape-recorded interview – he now says the government isn’t telling the truth about that tragic day, including the role of Saudi Arabia.

Ramaswamy has legitimate differences with the other candidates on foreign policy. In a tough debate exchange with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, she accused him of denigrating the importance of Ukraine, aiming to curtail U.S. aid to Israel and phasing out our potential defense of Taiwan. There is substance to back up each point, and many Republicans undoubtedly agree with him on Ukraine (though he would admittedly allow Vladimir Putin to keep the territorial gains Russia has made).

Vivek Ramaswamy had a tough exchange with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley over his foreign policy views during the first GOP primary debate on Fox News last week. (Paul Steinhauser)

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By the way, if elected, Ramaswamy says he would slash the federal government by 75% – including the Department of Education, FBI and IRS – and would raise the voting age to 25 for those who cannot pass a civics test.

But here’s the thing: He has a Trumpian quality in which he can say just about anything without alienating his supporters. They care less about the fine details or media fact-checks than the refreshing brazenness of this 38-year-old son of Indian immigrants.

Former President Donald Trump and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy hold similar qualities in which both are charismatic, brazen and capable of persuading their audiences. (Getty Images)

It’s not surprising that Ramaswamy is a huge Trump fan, offering him a preemptive pardon and hailing him as the "best president of the 21st century," which raises questions about why he’s running since the aforementioned "best president" is also a candidate.

Ramaswamy said over the weekend that he could bring greater unity to the country.

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Republicans have developed a habit of briefly falling in love with charismatic outsiders. Herman Cain, Ben Carson and Michele Bachmann all spent time at or near the top of primary polls before their moment passed.

The question with Ramaswamy is whether he’ll have the staying power to be a serious contender for the nomination, especially with his hero still maintaining an overwhelming lead in the polls.

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