After the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Donald Trump from the presidency and ruled that he should be removed from 2024 ballots, Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to “withdraw” his candidacy in the state, sparking social media mockery.
Mr Ramaswamy made the announcement seemingly in a show of solidarity with the former president after the historic ruling — which hinged on the US Constitution’s “insurrection” clause — came down on 19 December.
“I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot unless and until Trump’s name is restored,” Mr Ramaswamy said in a video on X. “I demand” that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley also withdraw from the state’s primary race.
Social media users have been quick to praise Mr Ramaswamy’s decision — but probably not for the reasons he was hoping.
Some have encouraged him to continue dropping out from other state’s ballots.
Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw reacted to Mr Ramaswamy’s pledge on X: “Maybe he should just withdraw from all the other states too.”
“Good! 49 more states to go,” one X user wrote.
Others have remarked that his withdrawal from the state’s primary ballot does not make a difference to many voters.
Former congressional staffer Matt Robison also chimed in, “I would like to announce that I too pledge to withdraw from the ballot. Because if I’m not on there it will have the exact same impact as Vivek.”
One X user commented brutally: “The one person who would’ve voted for him in Colorado is very upset.”
In the same vein, another user wrote, “Nice way to not really lose.”
Mr Ramaswamy did earn praise from Ohio senator JD Vance. Speaking on Fox News, Mr Vance said, “Good for Vivek! Good for somebody, a competitor of Donald Trump in the primary, for standing up and saying, ‘This is completely unacceptable.’”
The former president has not commented on Mr Ramaswamy’s proposal, but shared a few words of his own about the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision.
Mr Trump took to Truth Social to condemn the Colorado high court’s ruling: “WHAT A SHAME FOR OUR COUNTRY!!!” He added, “BANANA REPUBLIC??? ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!”
