Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy told Israel Hayom in a special interview Monday that if elected president, he would not act to unilaterally change the annual military aid to Israel and may even consider enlarging it, clarifying his controversial statements from the campaign trail on this matter.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In the interview at his campaign headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, he discussed how he had visited Israel many times and learned a lot about it, and revealed that the breakthrough that made him a billionaire was a result of collaboration with two Israeli entrepreneurs.
"So, the reality is that the three billion in aid that we give to Israel is a tiny drop in the bucket for the US military budget. But part of the benefit is – it runs through the US industrial base; a lot of that work is done here in the United States of America. It's actually accretive to the US and our interests. And so, in a certain way, it would be silly for us to want to skimp or cut that when in fact, it's not just in Israel's interest, but that's in our own interest, even nationally, in building our industrial base. And if it's accretive that means the more we actually run through, the more we're actually bolstering the US industrial base itself. And so that's good for the US. That's good for Israel. At some point in time, if Israel comes to us as a true friend, as Bibi has done in the past [referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in the US Congress in 1996], and says we don't need this, then great, then that's a point at which we can reevaluate. But we're not going to cut the aid until Israel tells us that, and even then, it's actually been a good thing for the US because we've built our own capabilities, investing internally in the meantime."
Q: So, if Israel asks you to continue with the aid and even asks for more, what are you going to say?
"I think that's a very reasonable...as long as it's running through the US, in that existing framework running through the US, if that advances American interests – and I believe it does – to build the US industrial base. I think it's a very reasonable conversation."
Ramaswamy, 38, was born to immigrants from India. He has branded himself as the outsider candidate. He has given only a handful of interviews to media outlets that are outside the US or India. Apart from the enormous self-confidence he projects, he clearly has great charisma and the ability to communicate on a personal level.
Video: Townhall meeting with Trump / Credit: Reuters
His intense schedule, befitting anyone with a White House bid, includes many interviews. During my visit to his headquarters, he had press availabilities with several major outlets.
An investor, businessman, and author with no prior political experience, Ramaswamy made a fortune in his twenties, when he began investing in pharma companies through the hedge fund QVT Financial, where he was ultimately made partner before he turned 30. In 2014, he founded Roivant Sciences, which rehabilitates pharmaceutical companies. It's estimated that he is worth about 1 billion dollars.
According to some polls, he won the first Republican presidential debate this month and he was definitely the star of the event, having attracted much of the attention. Some polls have him neck-and-neck with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, putting him as second only to front-runner Donald Trump.
During the interview, Ramaswamy claimed that the American people still don't know enough about him and that eventually he will win with a greater margin than Trump did.
"I don't look at scheming this way. I look at it much more simplistically. I'm an outsider to politics. I'm a successful businessman. I'm 38 years old, I've lived the American dream, I'm raising two sons now. I want to make sure that my two sons and their generation enjoy the same American dream that I have lived. I want to revive our national identity. And so, the way I think about it is as an outsider to politics – and I was the only outsider on that stage last week, I'm the true outsider in this race – my job is to speak the truth, to tell the people of this country, who I am and what I stand for. And you know what, if everybody in this country knows that, and they want to go for somebody else, I'm fine with that. But I think that the reality is, once more people in this country do know who I am and what I stand for, I think that's going to lead me to be successful. I'll be the next president. And this isn't about me. It's not about Trump, it's about the country. I'm a vehicle for advancing our America first agenda. And that's why I think we're going to be successful."
Q: So you are saying, "Let's not talk about realpolitik but about visions and fears?
"And actual vision for the country. Because, you know, political horse race stuff that's just so self-referential, you know, it's about me, it's about the other guy. And there's no such thing as a good political analyst. They're all by definition, can't be good political analysts, because they can only describe where the puck is; they're not able to describe where the puck is going. Look at what political analysts said about Trump at this time in 2016. It was laughable, there wasn't a credible one who said that he was actually going to win the election; that's exactly what happened. And so, I think I am following the same trajectory that Trump did in 2016. And I do think that I'm going to be even more successful in winning the general election in a landslide."
The full interview will be published this weekend.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
