Staff Reports
In a recent interview on CNN, Trump critic Will Hurd didn’t hold back in his assessment of 2024 rival Vivek Ramaswamy. Hurd referred to Ramaswamy as a “bad lounge act of Donald Trump,” criticizing his attempt to imitate the former president.
Hurd, who didn’t qualify for the GOP presidential debate, expressed concern that if Ramaswamy became the nominee and continued to imitate Trump, it would lead to defeat for the Republican Party in 2024. Hurd argued that copying someone who has lost elections, like Trump, is not a winning strategy.
Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) called Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy a “pretty bad lounge act” of former President Trump, following the conservative entrepreneur’s performance at the first Republican primary debate. https://t.co/zjxjsoVK99
— The Hill (@thehill) August 24, 2023
While Hurd has been vocal in his criticisms of Trump and has positioned himself as someone who wants to move the party past him, Ramaswamy has embraced Trump’s “America First” politics. Ramaswamy has even supported conspiracy theories surrounding the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, and has taken isolationist positions on foreign policy. This stark contrast between Hurd and Ramaswamy has made Ramaswamy a potential threat in the GOP field.
In recent national polling, Ramaswamy has reached as high as 11% support, placing him third behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. As the race for the 2024 nomination heats up, it will be interesting to see how Ramaswamy’s Trump-like approach resonates with Republican voters.
