Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy became popular online after answering a reporter's question. The reporter asked if he is against "White supremacy and White nationalism."
Ramaswamy said, "Of course I condemn any form of vicious racial discrimination in this country. But I think that the presumption of your question is fundamentally based on a falsehood that really is the main form of racial discrimination we see in this country today." He was speaking to a reporter from The Washington Post in Iowa on Wednesday.
Ramaswamy added, "Institutionalized racism is institutionalized racial discrimination that we see that doesn’t come from somehow discriminating against people on the basis of some tentative White supremacy. It’s based on affirmative action. It’s based on actually discriminating against people on the color of their skin in a way that’s actually institutionalized today."
Ramaswamy mentioned that "questions and framings like that" are the reason "the American people have lost all trust in the mainstream media."
The reporter from The Washington Post pointed out that Ramaswamy didn't directly say he condemns White supremacy.
Ramaswamy responded strongly, "I’m not, I’m not gonna recite some catechism for you." He continued, saying he won't follow the reporter's "new religion of modern wokeism." He stated he won't submit to their views, but he does condemn racial discrimination. He refused to play the reporter's "silly game of gotcha."
Ramaswamy told the reporter he knows how her "game" works. He guessed she would write a headline saying, "Vivek Ramaswamy refuses to condemn White supremacy."
"Because you asked a stupid question," Ramaswamy said. "The reality is I condemned vicious racial discrimination in this country, but the kind of racial systemic discrimination we see today is the discrimination based on race in a very different direction. You want to know what the best way is to end discrimination on the basis of race? Stop discriminating on the basis of race."
"You people have been responsible for bringing this country to a breaking point, creating a projection of national division," Ramaswamy continued. "I meet people from the South Side of Chicago to a meeting like this one of every shade of melanin, multiple from men to women, doesn't make a difference, who are hungry for reviving unity in this country, and you with this catechism that you try and get these politicians to whatever fake headline you're going to put on the basis of this conversation tomorrow, that's what's dividing this country to a breaking point."
"Shame on you. Look people in the eye and tell them what you've actually failed to tell them for the last five years. Own the accountability for your own failures as the media," he continued. "That's how we rebuild trust in this country and until then I don't have a lot of patience to play the games."
After Ramaswamy finished his answer, the crowd applauded him.
The reporter's question was a response to former Iowa Congressman Steve King endorsing Ramaswamy. King was known for being removed from his committee roles by fellow Republicans in 2019 after he made controversial comments about White supremacy.
Ramaswamy talked about this situation on X. He wrote, "After Steve King announced he was endorsing me, a reporter from @WAPO tried to make me 'denounce white supremacy.' She didn't clearly define 'white supremacy,' which now includes things like 'punctuality' and 'the written word.' I refused to play her game."