Ron DeSantis Slammed Vivek Ramaswamy For Calling Him ‘Complicit’ Against Trump: 'Just Absurd'

In a recent development, Vivek Ramaswamy, a GOP candidate eyeing the presidency, reiterated his commitment to abstain from participating in the electoral race in states that exclude former President Donald Trump from the ballot. Ramaswamy not only reaffirmed his stance but also asked his fellow Republican contenders to follow the same, labeling those unwilling to comply as 'complicit...in what’s happening.' However, the spat escalated when Ron DeSantis, also vying for the GOP nomination, retaliated against his Ramaswamy, as per Mediaite. 

During an interview with DeSantis on Tuesday, Fox News host Laura Ingraham aired a segment featuring a clip of Ramaswamy. In the clip, Ramaswamy said, “If every Republican removes themselves, that nullifies Maine and it nullifies Colorado if they remove a candidate unconstitutionally from that ballot." He further added, “If they remove Trump’s name, my name’s off too, and I call on Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley and Chris Christie to do the same thing. Their words are cheap. Actions speak louder than words. Now their unwillingness to do that reveals that they’re actually complicit, in part, in what’s happening, even if indirectly.”

According to The Hill's report, Maine and Colorado have taken measures to remove Trump from their respective ballots by invoking the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause. This interpretation stems from Trump's alleged involvement during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Shenna Bellows, Maine's Secretary of State, also defended this decision, as per CBS News, when she said, "In evaluating the weight of the evidence, it (was) made clear that Mr. Trump was aware of the tinder that was laid in a multi-month effort to delegitimize the 2020 election and (he) then chose to light a match." Colorado's Supreme Court reached a comparable verdict. However, despite these rulings, both the state Republican Party and the Trump campaign have declared their intent to appeal these decisions, vowing to contest the outcome.

Haley, Christie, and DeSantis have each expressed opposition to the endeavors aimed at preventing Trump's involvement in elections. However, despite this, they haven't complied with Ramaswamy's appeal to withdraw their names from the ballots in Maine or Colorado. Additionally, DeSantis was asked about his reaction to Ramaswamy's statements. He said, "Just absurd. I mean, I have a responsibility to accumulate delegates. I’m not gonna unilaterally cede any, I’m gonna win as many as I can, and I’ve been very clear about both of those decisions and those states."

The Florida governor added, "It’s not consistent with the Constitution. I do expect them to get reversed. I’ve raised the question about Biden. I mean, if he has a green-lit eight million illegals invading this country, is he eligible to be on? So we can play this game all along. I think it’s not going to end up well for our country. But I do know this, that if any of the other ones of us had gotten kicked off the ballot, Trump would be spiking the football, let’s just be clear. That is just the fact of the matter." Agreeing with DeSantis, Ingraham said, “That’s probably accurate. I think that’s a fair point.”