Biotech entrepreneur and Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy showcased his isolationist chops Tuesday night at a rally in Miami, pitching to voters a massive drawdown of U.S. foreign aid, including proposed assistance to Israel. The event, held on the eve of the third GOP debate, was titled the “Stop World War Three” rally, as Ramaswamy seeks to distinguish himself from the Republican field as the standout anti-war candidate.
“We’re only going to be able to revive our national identity here at home, which I will come back to if we avoid what I am more worried about today than I have ever been, which is that we are marching our way toward World War III,” Ramaswamy told voters in Little Havana, according to a report by the Palm Beach Post.
Calling back to the Wars on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ramaswamy told voters that he was committed to preventing “those same mistakes again,” explaining his opposition to aid in Ukraine and Israel.
“It’s my responsibility, it’s our generation’s responsibility, to make sure we don’t make those same mistakes again — not on my watch,” Ramaswamy said, according to the report. “I believe you deserve a leader of this country who puts the interests of our own citizens first. To actually say that my moral obligation to you, as your next president, is to the Americans who live right here at home. That should not be controversial.”
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As a father, my moral obligation is to my sons. As President, my *sole* obligation will be to the citizens of our nation. Not any other. Avoid World War III & secure our own homeland. That’s not anti-Israel. That’s not anti-Ukraine. It’s pro-America. pic.twitter.com/xry0d8q5Hx
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 4, 2023
But while Ramaswamy criticizes aid to Ukraine and Israel as a package deal, Republican voters appear to be more divided on the issue. According to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, 55 percent of Republican voters now oppose aid to Ukraine, which has come to total more than $75 billion. By contrast, only 35 percent of Republicans oppose aid to Israel.
The survey found that 65 percent of Republican voters support providing weapons and aid to Israel in the fight against Hamas.
In disagreement with most voters, Ramaswamy told Axios last month that he supported “no money” for Israel.
“In my ideal view of this, Israel should be able to make the decisions of how it defends itself and its national self-existence,” Ramaswamy said “And we provide a diplomatic Iron Dome for Israel to be able to carry that out. And that’s it. No money.”
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LIVE: Stop WW3 Rally from Miami, FL – sign the pledge at https://t.co/uteb1wW7QR https://t.co/qQ6IU0z5GN
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 8, 2023
His stance previously placed him at odds with audience members at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference last month, when he suggested the United States “mind our own affairs to avoid foreign military entanglements that do not relate directly to our homeland.”
Ramaswamy’s remarks drew boos from the crowd. He responded by defending himself as a “George Washington America-First conservative.”
“Many of you have heard my policy views described by the press as unfriendly to Israel,” said Ramaswamy. “Some have even described me and my views as anti-Israel… We have enough anti-Semitism in this country that we don’t need to artificially manufacture more of it,”
Ramaswamy will be onstage at the third GOP primary debate in Miami on Wednesday alongside candidates Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, and Tim Scott. Former President Donald Trump will not be in attendance.
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