Vivek Ramaswamy Sparks Major Trump Rumor

Speculation has risen that entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will soon drop out of the 2024 GOP presidential primary to bolster his chances of being Donald Trump's running mate.

Ramaswamy's presidential campaign announced it has stopped spending money on all television ads just weeks before the Iowa caucus on January 15 and the New Hampshire primary on January 23, while continuing to spend on other forms of advertising.

Ramaswamy, who like all other Republican primary candidates is way behind frontrunner Trump in the polls, has constantly praised the former president during his campaign, and has long faced speculation he is more vying to be Trump's potential vice president in 2024, rather than mount a serious White Bid bid.

Reacting to the news that Ramaswamy is pulling TV ads before the primary season begins, Trump predicted in a post on Truth Social that the entrepreneur will soon endorse the former president in his 2024 campaign, adding "but Vivek is a good man, and is not done yet!"

Ramaswamy denied that he is campaigning to be Trump's potential VP, telling Fox News on Sunday that he is "not a Plan B person." He also played down the significance of pulling his television campaign ads, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that such spending is "idiotic, low-ROI & a trick that political consultants use to bamboozle candidates who suffer from low IQ. We're doing it differently.

"Spending $$ in a way that follows data...apparently a crazy idea in US politics. Big surprise coming on Jan 15," he added.

Ramaswamy's campaign says it is still spending money on ads, just not on TV.
"We are focused on bringing out the voters we've identified—best way to reach them is using addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls and doors to communicate with our voters on Vivek's vision for America, making their plan to caucus and turning them out," Tricia McLaughlin, the campaign's press secretary, told NBC News.

Ramaswamy's office has been contacted for comment via email.

However, a number of social media users have suggested that the move is an indication that Ramaswamy will soon drop out of the race to improve his chances of being Trump's vice president, or another role in Trump's next potential administration.

Ron Filipkowski, a frequent Trump critic and co-host of the YouTube show MAGA Uncovered, Track & Report on the Right-Wing, posted on X: "His whole campaign was an op. He was Trump's proxy in the debates. Now he's pulling ads before he drops out and endorses Trump while angling for a Cabinet position."

In reply, X user Aaron Girvan wrote: "The most frequent criticism of the Republican presidential [primary] is that they're running to be Trump's VP. Vivek is the most explicit of this. He's not running to be president. He's running to be Trump's lapdog."

Another social media user added: "So Vivek has basically taken the hint that he's not winning Iowa or New Hampshire. He's basically running to be either VP or a cabinet member at this point."

The @Rptrgodess account, which describes itself as a former Republican turned Independent, wrote in reply to news of Ramaswamy pulling TV campaign ads: "Vivek will be Trump's VP pick. Watch. That's probably the deal as to why he's stepping back."

Trump has given no major indication on who he might pick as his 2024 running mate if he wins the GOP primary.

In an interview with BlazeTV in August, Trump said Ramaswamy would potentially be a "very good" vice president, adding the 38-year-old has "really distinguished himself" during the primary campaign trial.

Other names that have been touted as Trump's next potential running mate include South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, fellow Republican 2024 hopeful Nikki Haley, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Ramaswamy is backed by 3.5 percent of Republican primary voters, according to the latest fivethirtyeight poll tracker, behind Haley on 11 percent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on 11.7 percent and Trump on 61.2 percent.