Vivek Ramaswamy has officially dropped out of the Republican Presidential race following the Iowa Caucus. Unsurprisingly, Ramaswamy threw his political weight behind former President Donald Trump — endorsing the clear frontrunner for President.
But now that Ramaswamy is out of the running for President, it’s worth taking a look back at some of the wildest moments from his campaign.
1. Unicorns & White Supremacy
“I’m sure the boogeyman white supremacist exists somewhere in America. I’ve just never met him...Maybe I’ll meet a unicorn sooner. Maybe they exist too,” he said at a campaign event over the summer.
These comments were made shortly before a white gunman killed three Black people at a Dollar Store in Jacksonville, Florida. And even after hearing the news, Ramaswamy continued to double down.
2. Ramaswamy Compared Ayanna Pressley to The KKK
Around the same time as the unicorns controversy, Ramaswamy decided to go after Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Ibram X Kendi. Ramaswamy called the pair “the modern grand wizards of the KKK.” Understandably, they both took offense. Congresswoman Pressley noted that her family members were “brutalized, lynched, raped by the Ku Klux Klan.”
3. Ramaswamy Gets Into It With Don Lemon
Vivek Ramaswamy made a bunch of claims about Black American history and the National Rife Association’s dedication to Black liberation while on CNN. The conversation culminated in an infamously heated back and forth between Ramaswamy and then-CNN Anchor Don Lemon.
4. How MLK Inspired His Anti-Woke Crusade
While at a Turning Points USA event (the irony), Vivek Ramaswamy claimed that Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings had inspired his crusade against people who make their racial and gender identities central to their politics. It’s an interesting take — considering MLK dedicated his life to the fighting anti-Black racism as well as other forms of racial oppression.
5. Voting Tests!
Here’s a policy moment! During his campaign, Vivek Ramaswamy recommended moving the voting age to 25 with some minor exceptions, including a citizenship test. Many people argued that this would essentially be putting racist literacy tests used to deter Black people from voting back in place.