"Will Be Formidable If...": US Daily Endorses Indian-American's Presidential Bid

Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who this week announced his 2024 presidential bid, will be formidable if he can marshal the polling support to make it onto a debate stage, a editorial board of a top American financial daily has said in an unusual tacit endorsement of his candidacy.

“Mr Ramaswamy has preternatural energy and can argue his brief with the best of them. He'll be formidable if he can marshal the polling support to make it onto a debate stage. He was early in campaigning against the woke infection in American business with his 2021 book 'Woke, Inc.',” said the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal weighing in on the presidential candidacy of the Ohio-born Indian-American.

At the same time, the daily noted the challenges ahead of the November 2024 elections.

“Campaigning for the White House has become a vanity project for some people who have no chance—see Marianne Williamson and Dennis Kucinich. Mr Ramaswamy will have to persuade voters that he's more than that, as well as overcome doubts about his relative youth. Then again, many voters may prefer the hope of youthful energy over the age and experience of the last six years,” it said.

Ramaswamy, 37, is seeking to run on a Republican ticket. So does Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina and the former US Ambassador to the United Nations. She announced her 2024 bid on February 24.

The Wall Street Editorial Board said Ramaswamy has been a stalwart voice for free speech against the censorship of the tech giants.

His enthusiasms sometimes get carried away, as with his proposal to make political beliefs a legally protected characteristic, like race or religion. “If you think companies are woke now, wait until employees can't be fired for attacking their employers,” the daily said.

“Mr Ramaswamy is also calling for a revival of national self-confidence based on the principles that have lifted all Americans. This means re-embracing the importance of merit again in work and culture, as opposed to levelling based on race, gender and class,” said The Wall Street Journal.

"As the son of Indian immigrants, Mr Ramaswamy is well-positioned to remind Americans about what draws people to the US. He joins former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as GOP candidates of Indian descent,” the daily said. PTI LKJ RUP