Somewhere in the north, in the state of Ohio, in the suburbs of Columbus, in a beautiful horse stable turned magnificent house of size, is the campaign headquarters of Vivek Ramaswamy, the rising star of the Republican Party.
When you say "presidential campaign headquarters," you think of hundreds of people running around Anna and Anna in endless fever to achieve the long-awaited achievement of occupying the White House on November 5, 2024. That's really not the picture that unfolded before my eyes on Monday night, when I got to chat with the hot new name in the preliminary. He is only 38 years old, the son of immigrants from India who in the previous decade became rich from the health business – including cooperation with Israelis. In recent days, he has stabilized for second or third place in intra-party polls.
The rising Republican candidate in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom // Brandon Goodyear
Presents himself as an "anti-politician"
However you look at it, Rameswamy is an unusual candidate. He has no political experience. He was neither governor, nor congressman, nor senator. His positions and style sometimes differ from the Republican one, and he presents himself as an anti-politician who came to drive a "revolutionary" movement, as he put it, called "truth." Scattered on the tables at election headquarters are explanatory proclamations about its brief and poignant Ten Commandments.
"There is God, there are two genders, human prosperity requires fossil fuels (i.e. not green energies), reverse racism is racism, an open border is not a border, parents can decide on the education of their children, the nuclear family is an excellent formula for humankind, a free market lifts people out of poverty, there are three rather than four, the U.S. Constitution is the guarantee of the best freedom in history."
Ramswamy speaking during a debate between Republican candidates, Photo: Reuters
He displays peaks of self-confidence that make Israeli politicians seem modest. "Biden is who he is, and I'm not going to sit here complaining about him, but replacing him," he shoots nonchalantly during the conversation.
Substantively, as well as visually, he can be seen as a kind of American Emmanuel Macron, that is, someone who emerges from nowhere and manages at a young age to reach center stage. Now he's breathing down the back of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who can't get off the ground, providing new hope to those in the party who are looking for a tough, conservative leader not named Donald Trump.
"I will do better than Trump in 2016"
But there are not many of them. The former president is also tens of percentage points ahead of Rameswamy, who provides a surprising answer to the question of why Trump's eight rivals would not choose one of them to go head-to-head against him. He enjoys the split between you, I tell him.
"You know what? If everyone in the country knows, and wants to go for someone else, that's fine with me. But look what analysts said about Trump in 2016. There was no one who said he would win the election. That's exactly what will happen. I think I'm following the same path that Trump did in 2016. And I do think I'll be even more successful in winning the general election by a larger margin."
The direct competitor. DeSantis, Photo: AP
A few hours before we met, he returned from a day of meetings and interviews in New York. In the stable that has become an election headquarters there is a large recording studio where he is interviewed back-to-back for television channels. Both podcasts and the first extensive interview for an Israeli newspaper were held in this studio.
Running for president of the United States at such a young age, and under these conditions, isn't it jumping very, very high?
"My parents had a saying: 'You jump high if you have a solid foundation.' So I believe it is my duty to this country to indeed jump high. I believe that the good days of this country are yet to come, and that America does not have to be in decline."
But experience is not important?
"In some ways, experience can make you better, and in other ways, make you worse. If someone smashes your car every time they drove it, you won't give them the keys again, you'll try someone new."
"We need borders like in Israel"
The United States is suffering from severe crises, but these are dwarfed by a drug epidemic the likes of which America has never known. A recent government survey found that more than a quarter of American adults responded that they or a family member had become addicted to painkillers or illegal opioids.
Trump responds to impending indictment // Reuters
How will you deal with the drug and drug epidemic?
"A large part of the problem comes from the southern border of the United States. By the way, as a friend of Israel, I think that the United States needs a similar border policy. The reality is that we have a perforated southern border. Even the wall Trump built, they're building tunnels underneath it, funded by drug cartels. Trucks drive through these tunnels. I will use the U.S. military to close the holes in the border. This is how we will stop the problem of human trafficking, the problem of illegal immigrants, the problem of fentanyl, a lot of which is intentional, because these substances, from all places in the world, come from Wuhan, China."
Do you see China as an existential threat to the United States? Or does it want peace, as Xi Jinping says?
"China is a fundamentally dishonest country. I believe Xi Jinping based on his actions, not statements. China is the greatest threat to the United States, and my foreign policy will be directed accordingly. It's a problem that starts with our shoes and reaches our phones in our pockets. The first step I'm going to take is declaring economic independence from China. This will require better relations with Israel, India, Japan, South Korea and other friendly allies."
Ariel Kahane interviews Rameswamy, Photo: Brandon Goodyear
"Pathetic not to accept Netanyahu"
The tense relationship with China also affects Israel, but we have our own troubles, such as not scheduling a meeting between Biden and Netanyahu since the formation of the government.
"It's pathetic," Rameswamy lashes. "It is cowardice not to welcome the leader of Israel and have an open conversation with him. That's a big part of Biden's fear syndrome, which walks on eggs because he's worried about the harm of some of his friends on the left."
In this context, please clarify your position on U.S. security assistance to Israel, because you have been told that you want to end it in 2028.
"False. The reality is that the aid we give Israel is a small drop in the basket of the American defense budget. But part of its benefit is that it goes through the industrial base (of the United States), because a lot of the work is done in the United States of America. So it joins other interests in strengthening the U.S. So, in a way, it would be foolish of the U.S. to want to cut it. It's good for America and good for Israel. We will not cut aid as long as Israel tells us so."
A confrontation of Republican contenders with the exception of Trump,
In other words, as long as Israel says it wants the aid, will you support its continuation and even its increase?
"As long as it's done through the United States, it's a very logical conversation.
"One of the most important areas for a partnership between both the United States and Israel is to make sure together that Iran will never be equipped with a nuclear program. If you look at the missiles that Iran is working on, they don't need these missiles to hit Israel. They need these missiles to hit the United States. That's why, out of America's self-interest, I'm taking such strong positions."
"We will not go to war with Iran"
So would Iran be willing to use military force to stop it? Because history shows that sanctions do not stop Iran.
"We will not prevent Israel from defending itself with full force. And we remain supportive of Israel, because it is our friend. (But) I think it's really important that the United States doesn't put our citizens on the line of war with Iran, because there's no reason for us to be in that kind of war. It's not good for the United States, and it's not good for Israel.
"I'm following his route." Trump, Photo: AP
"What we do need to do is make sure that Israel is strong so that Iran doesn't get encouragement. You know, the ayatollahs in Iran prefer that Israel not exist. That's the truth. Therefore, Israel must be in a strong position to defend itself, and the United States will back it. But this is very different from automatically and with our eyes closed into war. I will be an anti-war president. And the way I'm going to do that is by deterring war, ending the war in Ukraine and deterring China. It's important to be strong, but in a way that doesn't accidentally lead us to wars we don't belong to."
Rameswamy's remarks about the non-use of American force against Iran were published yesterday on the Israel Hayom website and drew much criticism. Among the attackers was former Vice President Mike Pence, who is himself running for the party's nomination. "This announcement demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about protecting American interests and our dearest ally. Weakness breeds evil. Vivek's hesitation to send a clear message of support for Israel will only strengthen the radical Islamic ayatollahs in Tehran. America stands with Israel!" wrote Pence.
Vivek Ramaswamy, Photo: AP
There is no doubt that Vivek does not want to weaken us. In his view, America should not interfere in domestic affairs. "It's not our job to manage Israel's internal affairs. That's the role of the Israeli leadership," he says of the legal reform. "Our relationship is not business. We are friends. I want to talk to my counterpart Netanyahu and hear from him what he thinks is best for Israel's interests. What comes from me is a firm commitment to say that Israel is our ally and we will have a relationship of trust."
Do you see a risk to Israel's democratic character, as some claim?
"I don't think so, it's excessive. And I have to admit – I probably didn't study this subject as closely as Israeli politicians. But it is ironic that the left in the United States, which talks about a desire to expand the Supreme Court and limit the age of justices here (in order to weaken the conservative majority), attacks Israel for legal reforms. This is a bit hypocrisy. This is a complicated issue related to the separation of powers. We in the United States have complex issues of separation of powers. It's not surprising that in Israel there is also a vigorous discussion about the same thing."
Mike Pence, Photo: AP
What do you think about the possibility that Israel will apply its sovereignty over areas in Judea and Samaria, as proposed in the Trump administration's peace plan?
"It makes sense, and it's a possibility that should be on the table."
"Forget legitimization of the PA"
If the Palestinian Authority collapses, what do you think should happen on the ground?
"I want to hear Bibi about it. (But) at the end of my first term, I am certain that our relations with Israel will be stronger than they have ever been. What does this mean? I am going to diplomatically lead the advancement of the Abraham Accords to the next level. Forget the Oslo Accords. Relations between the United States and Israel should be one of true friendship. Not a deal, but a true friendship.
"At the end of my first term in office, I am confident that our relations with Israel will be stronger than they have ever been. Forget Biden's tacit legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, the Taylor Force Act (which prohibits the US from assisting the PA as long as the payment of terrorists' salaries continues), and the fact that Mahmoud Abbas is in his 18th year of a four-year term. It's pathetic.
Biden: "U.S. Commitment to Israel's Security Strong" // Reuters
"We need a president of the United States with a backbone who will not adopt the thread of this anti-Semitic foreign policy. We should not hold Israel hostage because of the Palestinian question. We're not going to do that. We are going to further promote Israel's diplomatic integration. Let's bring Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Indonesia into the Abraham Accords 2.0. That's what good friends do — they help each other."
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