The “culture warrior” or “red pill,” are some of the names that have been given controversial presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Initially, I supported his resolve, despite his lack of political experience. Without knowing much, I thought he wanted to seek change in aspects of the U.S. governmental system that were lacking. Sitting at my desk, I dove into Ramaswamy’s platform, but soon realized he wasn’t the man I wanted him to be.

Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents, on Aug. 9, 1985. Ramaswamy worked as an investment partner at a hedge fund before founding Roviant Sciences, the pharmaceutical company that made him his fortune. Now 38 years old with no political experience, he is running as a Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election. He considers himself a “revolutionary,” ready to follow in former president Donald Trump’s footsteps with controversial proposals, such as abolishing the FBI and banning social media for children under 16.

As Ramaswamy runs for the 2024 presidential election, he builds the foundations of his campaign on 10 truths, as stated on his website:

1. God is real.
2. There are two genders.
3. Human flourishing requires fossil fuels.
4. Reverse racism is racism.
5. An open border is no border.
6. Parents determine the education of their children.
7. The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.
8. Capitalism lifts people up from poverty.
9. There are three branches of the U.S. government, not four.
10. The U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedoms in history.

Taking a look at some of his controversial “truths,” I find myself wondering if Ramaswamy is running a serious political campaign or simply egging on a culture war. These supposed “truths” that Ramaswamy has rallied behind his campaign aren’t things that align with my personal beliefs. So far, Ramaswamy has shown nothing more than a series of baseless claims. Ramaswamy also told John Hendrickson with The Atlantic that “I just wrote down things that are true,” and “It took me about 15 minutes.” The amount of time he spent on “the truths,” which he built his campaign on, show that he wrote them arbitrarily, and they may not even be “truths” he personally supports. Looking at the other candidates of the 2024 election, I realize that there are better options than Ramaswamy. 

Let’s take a look at a few of his “truths” bolded below:

“There are two genders.”

Not to be confused with sex, gender refers to socially constructed roles, while sexes are based on the biological characteristics of a person. Ramaswamy claims that “There are two genders,” however, gender is merely a social construct, which means that it’s not the same for everyone. Some may express their gender more masculine than feminine, while others may be the opposite. Furthermore, some don’t fit into any of the standards of gender imposed by society. We cannot say that gender is binary, because it’s not. Rather, it’s a wide spectrum. Unlike sex, gender doesn’t host the boundaries of science. For that reason, it isn’t confined to two genders. Ramaswamy insists that “There are two genders,” however, that is simply not true. 

“Human flourishing requires fossil fuel.”

According to the United Nations, “fossil fuels are by far the largest contributors to global climate change, accounting for more than 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emission and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.” In today’s fossil fuel powered world, humans are flourishing in some respects. However, it’s important to recognize that through fossil fuels, we contribute significantly to climate change. We will see warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, and increasingly more dramatic natural disasters by continuing the abuse of fossil fuels. “Human flourishing requires fossil fuel,” Ramaswamy said. But, we cannot rely on them forever. We have already began slowly transitioning to renewable sources of energy, which is more sustainable, by falling back on fossil fuels we will effectively revert the progress we have made up till now and contribute to the destruction of the Earth. By acknowledging this truth, we are disregarding our future and our children’s and grandchildren’s lives, as well as the future of capitalism in the U.S. if businesses do not adapt new methods now.

“Parents determine the education of their children.”

Parents have a responsibility to teach their children various skills. Whether these skills are social or academic, parents must direct their children in the right direction. But, at the end of the day, it’s the child that decides whether they would like to seriously pursue a path put forth by their parents. If the child fails to understand the importance of education and doesn’t wholeheartedly pursue their education, we cannot put the parents at fault. To me, it seems that Ramaswamy did not consider the various factors of raising a child when making this claim. 

“God is real.”

Ultimately, everyone should vote in accordance with their own opinions.[/pullquote]In 1905, a law provided for the separation of religion from political power. This kept the government from influencing religion and religion from influencing the government. Founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and James Madison believed that state support for any particular religion was improper. In Ramaswamy’s campaign, he says that “God is real,” effectively introducing a link between religion and politics. To provide for a non-biased state we cannot introduce religion into politics. Through this statement, Ramaswamy indicates his potential bias toward a particular religion, which will impact the decisions he makes if he is elected.

The four “truths” I highlighted made me rethink my support of his candidacy. Ultimately, everyone should vote in accordance with their own opinions, but it is important to be informed on the candidates’ platforms, especially when those platforms are as controversial as Ramsaway’s. As for me, I believe that Ramsaway is running a candidacy of theatrics and ignorance in a time when our country needs strong, stable and innovative leadership. Before being swayed by social media propaganda, I challenge you to do your own research before settling on a candidate to avoid the mistakes I made.

This is a personal column. It does not reflect the opinions of the ENO staff or school, only the individual writer.