CPAC 2023: Vivek Ramaswamy counters MTG on national divorce, suggests ‘revival’

OXON HILL, Maryland — Biopharmaceutical entrepreneur and 2024 Republican hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy countered calls for a “national divorce,” implying that a “national revival” would be more preferable.

Ramaswamy argued that the United States is at a crossroads and insisted that the country won’t attain national unity through politicians who clamor for a “Kumbaya” or compromise excessively.

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“Do we want a national divorce? Or do we want a national revival? It’s not going to happen automatically, whatever it is — it is going to be what we choose it to be,” Ramaswamy asked an unfilled ballroom at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Recently, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) stoked controversy with a call for a national divorce, contending that there should be a stronger separation between “red” and “blue” states. Ramaswamy did not mention her by name.

“We’re not gonna get national unity when somebody shows up with a proverbial bill, saying that ‘can’t we all hold hands … come along Kumbaya’ — that ship has sailed a long time ago,'” he said. “You get national security in this country by embracing the extremism, the radicalism of the ideals that set this nation into motion 250 years ago.”

He cited free speech, merit, open debate, and more as “radical ideas” distinct from how much of human history was governed.

Ramaswamy also scoffed at the notion that the divide in the U.S. is between Republicans and Democrats, insisting it was between the “managerial class and the everyday citizen.”

In his wide-ranging speech, which drew mostly cheers from the crowd coupled with a few hecklers, Ramaswamy unveiled a new policy push to “shut down the FBI in America” and create something new to take its place. He also favors eliminating the Department of Education.

Ramaswamy credited former President Donald Trump for inspiring his presidential campaign.

“My good friend Donald Trump [is] a man who I took inspiration from to do what I’m doing now. If he hadn’t done what he did in 2015 and 2016 as an outsider to come and shake up the system, I wouldn’t even have thought about doing what I’m doing today,” he said.

“It’s possible that as this goes, we’ll get a little bit of name-calling. You know what, that’s part of … locker room talk,” he added.

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Ramaswamy is one of three declared 2024 Republican hopefuls slated to address CPAC’s 2023 confab at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, a sprawling complex that overlooks the Potomac just outside of Washington, D.C.

His speech followed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and preceded Trump’s keynote set for Saturday. An outspoken critic of woke culture and author, Ramaswamy declared his 2024 bid last month. He has been trailing his top potential GOP peers in polls.