“We Have an Opportunity”: Vivek Ramaswamy Fact-Checked Over Kamala Harris’s “Weird” Claim
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Vivek Ramaswamy, a prominent MAGA supporter and former GOP presidential candidate, found himself swiftly corrected after making an inaccurate claim about Vice President Kamala Harris. During an appearance on CNN Thursday morning, Ramaswamy alleged that Harris had referred to Republican voters as “weird,” a statement that was quickly challenged by the hosts.
Ramaswamy appeared on the program to discuss the Democratic National Convention and to urge Republicans to focus on critiquing Harris’s policy record rather than engaging in personal attacks. However, he attempted to argue that Democrats were more guilty of personal insults than former President Donald Trump, who is known for his often inflammatory rhetoric.
“We have not been going hard enough at her for that policy record,” Ramaswamy stated. “You look at the other side, their strategy has been to call about 70-plus million Americans ‘weird.’ I think that’s a winning strategy for us, especially against the backdrop of Democrats, who have made this quite personal. I think that’s a contrast from Democrats. Think about the Democratic convention, chanting ‘lock him up,’ chants of ‘weird,’ effectively calling 70-plus million Americans on the other side weird.”
Ramaswamy’s assertion drew immediate scrutiny from CNN’s hosts. John Avlon, who had been pressing Ramaswamy to address Trump’s personal attacks on Harris, was interrupted by co-host Sarah Sidner, who stepped in to correct the record.
“They’re not calling Americans that, they’re not calling Americans weird,” Sidner interjected as Ramaswamy tried to continue. “They’re not calling the electorate weird. You know they’re specifically talking about the vice president, Republican vice presidential nominee [J.D. Vance], and Donald Trump, not the electorate.”
Ramaswamy, known for his articulate and often verbose responses, was momentarily at a loss for words. After a brief pause, he responded, “Well, I beg to differ on that characterization. You look at the way that many Republicans, even down-ballot Republicans, are treated in these races. My goal is not to play the victim card here, my goal is actually to highlight an opportunity that Republicans have to say that, at a moment when they’re leveling personal insults at you, you know what? You have an opportunity, we have an opportunity, to attack even harder on the policy record.”
The exchange highlighted the ongoing tension between Republicans and Democrats, particularly over the use of personal attacks in political discourse. While Ramaswamy attempted to pivot the conversation back to policy, the swift fact-check from CNN underscored the importance of accuracy in political statements, especially when discussing contentious issues on national platforms.
