The first 2024 Republican presidential debate will take place Wednesday night without former President Donald Trump, as he has announced he does not need to be there because he is leading in the polls by massive amounts. Minus his presence, I predict the one who will shine will be businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
One of my first observations about Ramaswamy was this: “The 37-year-old strikes me as a little bit of former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and a whole lot of ambition.” I have no idea what he would accomplish as president, but I do know he’s a smooth talker, just as Obama was. I also know that he knows what it is to create and run hugely profitable businesses and is unashamed of the success America has afforded him, which is akin to Trump’s attitude about the wealth he, too, has been able to amass. This is in stark contrast to Sen. Mitt Romney, who as a presidential candidate in 2012 appeared apologetic about his fortune.
Trump has a way of sucking up all the oxygen from a room, and, no doubt if he had chosen to debate his opponents on Wednesday, he would command most of the attention, proudly proclaim his record, and dominate the post-debate coverage. He would also throw out half a dozen zingers—at least—to boot. But he won’t be there. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been in second place in the polls, although not anywhere close to Trump, but a Kaplan Strategies poll published on August 14 shows that Ramaswamy has overtaken DeSantis.
The young candidate seems to elevate himself whenever he opens his mouth. I’ve read comments from many who are impressed with how he discusses the issues, handles the gotcha questions, and comports himself—his rapping of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and bare-chested tennis match notwithstanding.
He’s a smooth operator, no doubt, from what I can see, although I have not had a chance to interview the candidate myself, as his campaign has ignored me after initially instructing me to submit a press request—but I digress. I have no idea how sincere Ramaswamy’s silver tongue is, but I do believe it’s ready. He is adept at navigating the question-answer waters, and I predict this first debate will be no exception. He will come out on top.
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I agree 100%. If he has the outing you predict, I predict it will be the end of the DeSantis run for president. Will VR catch DJT? What were folks saying in 2016 when Trump came out of no where and suddenly was the nominee? Only time will tell. I said this very same thing on my TikTok video I did this morning.