The entrepreneur came fourth in the Iowa Caucus.
DES MOINE, Iowa—Vivek Ramaswamy announced he’s dropping out of the presidential race after placing fourth in the Iowa Caucus.
“There is no path for me to be the next president, absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country,” he announced at his Iowa watch party in Surety Hotel in downtown Des Moines.
“I am so proud of every one of you who have lifted us up,” he told the crowd, before pivoting to another announcement: former President Donald Trump would enjoy his “full endorsement.”
Mr. Ramaswamy said earlier in the night he called President Trump to say he was suspending his campaign and would endorse the former president.
As of 11:39 p.m. ET, the candidate finished fourth in the race at 7.7 percent, behind former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
“We did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
Mr. Ramaswamy suggested that his move was in line with America’s interests as a country.
He told reporters he intended to campaign with President Trump in New Hampshire and said he believes neither Ms. Haley nor Mr. DeSantis has a path to winning the GOP nomination.
Former President Trump spoke positively of Mr. Ramaswamy during his victory address.
“It’s just the beginning,” his stream on X captured him saying to one watch party attendee.
One supporter pledged she would give President Trump the level of support she had given Mr. Ramaswamy.
“That’s the right answer,” the entrepreneur responded.
Does Not Rule Out Vice Presidency
Mr. Ramaswamy did not rule out the possibility of serving as a vice president, despite repeatedly saying he was uninterested in the position while still campaigning.
“I’m going to evaluate whatever is best for the future of this country,” he said after announcing his campaign’s suspension.
The businessman launched his run on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program in February 2023.
He went on to campaign throughout 2023, capitalizing on an Internet-friendly, libertarian populist persona that saw him everywhere from Tim Pool’s podcast to New Hampshire’s summer PorcFest, a libertarian extravaganza.
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