The youngest Presidential candidate from the Republican Party, Vivek Ramaswamy, suggested he would like to bring Elon Musk on as an advisor if elected President in the US Presidential elections 2024. The 38-year-old conservative entrepreneur was at a town hall in Iowa when asked whom he would bring on to guide his administration. Ramaswamy said that he admires Musk’s approach to reorganizing X, the company now known as Twitter, and plans to apply similar approaches in the government.
Ramaswamy also praised Musk’s mass layoffs when he took over Twitter last year. The Republican candidate is a former biotech executive who co-founded Roivant Sciences, an early-stage biotechnology firm that made several successful IPOs. He also authored two books, ‘Nation of Victims: Identity Politics and the Death of Merit’ and ‘Woke Inc: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam.’
While he has yet to secure the Republican nomination, Ramaswamy is making an impression in the White House race with his anti-establishment platform and ability to connect with voters on issues such as immigration and climate change. He has also attracted attention by releasing detailed proposals for reforming the nation’s tax code and limiting social security benefits.
As an outsider to politics, Ramaswamy aims to attract young voters alienated from the Republican establishment. He has already secured endorsements from prominent figures in the conservative world, including entrepreneur Jason Calacanis and former New York Times columnist Bret Stephens. In his quest for the Republican nomination, Ramaswamy faces competition from Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida and Nikki Haley, who served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador.
Musk has been on the fringes of the political world for years, but his ties with Trump have drawn him into the spotlight. The billionaire owner of SpaceX, Tesla, and X has reportedly been offered an advisory role in the presidential campaign by Republican strategist Steve Bannon, who was hired to replace Karl Rove. While the ties between the two are unclear, they will likely be a significant factor in how the race unfolds.
While Ramaswamy’s rapprochement with Musk is promising, he may face difficulty limiting the federal government’s power. He will likely have trouble shutting down agencies with civil service protections if elected. He could face legal challenges from the Department of Education, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Nevertheless, the young candidate has a solid business track record and has demonstrated that he can compete with established politicians in the GOP primary.
