Biden vs. Ramaswamy in 2024?

All eyes are back on the United States as the 2024 presidential election draws near. Indeed, the Philippines has a lot at stake in the next US elections. After all, the next American president will determine how the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific skews, how China’s hegemonic ambitions will be tempered and the extent by which America will help the Philippines defend its borders and people.

Even now, we can already rule out a third party in US elections. Apart from Ross Perot who waged a respectable campaign garnering a 19 percent voter’s share in the 1992 plebiscite, no other third party performed as well. It’s safe to say that the next presidential race will be between the two predominant parties, the Democrats and Republicans.

In a declaration last April, President Biden already announced his intention to run for a second term. Unless the health of the 80-year-old Chief Executive fails him, Biden is destined to be the Democratic bet for the 2024 elections. The alternatives are Vice President Kamala Harris, Robert Kennedy Junior and Marianne Williamson.

On the Republican side, former president Donald Trump enjoys a commanding lead against his opponents in the Republican primaries. According to a Gallup survey conducted last Aug. 12, Trump remains to be the favorite with a 57 percent preference share. He is followed by Ron de Santis with 14 percent and Vivek Ramaswamy with a 9 percent share.

While it seems Trump is a shoo-in for a 2024 presidential run, legal troubles surrounding his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 attempt to overturn the 2020 election may disqualify him. See, section three of the 14th Amendment of the American Constitution contains a pivotal clause that is central to Trump’s case. It states that “no person shall hold any state or federal office if they have previously taken an oath of office and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

That said, a Trump disqualification could very well happen. Does this mean De Santis is next in line?

Not necessarily. While De Santis leads Ramaswamy by 5 points, Ramaswamy’s numbers are rising while those of De Santis are waning. Rawaswamy was voted as having won the debate among Republican primary candidates last month. He presently holds the distinction of being the most Googled politician in America while trending on X (Twitter) for several weeks. The man’s star is rising.

All these come at a time when Joe Biden’s ratings are falling. In a nationwide poll, 38 percent of Americans say they have lost faith in the presidency, while only 26 percent say they still believe in it. Meanwhile, a CNN poll among Democrats reveal that 67 percent are dissatisfied with Biden and want another leader.

So here you have a situation where the incumbent president is intent on running for a second term despite waning popularity and flagging physical vigor. His fiercest opponent, Donald Trump, faces disqualification. And out of nowhere comes Vivek Ramaswamy, who is electrifying the nation. We may just see a two-way fight between Biden and Ramaswamy.

Who is Vivek Ramaswamy?

Born on Aug. 9, 1985 to Indian immigrants, Ramaswamy grew up in Ohio attending both private and public schools. He was valedictorian of high school class 2003. He attended Harvard and bagged a degree in Biology. After that, proceeded to Yale Law School where he finished in 2013. His academic life was marked by honors and accolades.

He went on to work for a hedge fund called QVT Financial. He quickly made partner and was in charge of the firm’s biotech investments. Even before he turned 30, the man made millions both for himself and QVT.

Ramaswamy left QVT in 2014 to start his own biotech firm, Roviant Sciences. Roviant obtained approval for four drugs which are now in the market. His company raised billions of dollars in its IPO.

Ramaswamy’s interest in politics became evident in 2020 as he donated millions to Trump’s presidential campaign. Prior to that, he did not even bother to vote. He announced his run for Republican nomination in February 2023.

This is where he stands on certain issues:

He is against Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) as the framework by which institutional investors assess the viability of companies. He believes ESG unduly mixes politics and free market forces and only works to forward the woke movement. He is fiercely against the ultra-liberal woke movement.

He plans to scrap environmental restrictions, including those that relate to greenhouse gas emissions. He is all for the use of fossil fuels and mining. He intends to ban American companies from investing in China. He plans to deny minors access to addictive social media sites. He vows to raise the voting age from 18 to 25 unless one passes a civil test and/or renders six months national service. He proposes to end civil service protection and impose term limits for government bureaucrats. He intends to abolish the Department of Education, the FBI and Internal Revenue System.

It is not yet clear what his position is on the Indo-Pacific power struggle with China and the Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines. However, we can safely assume that Biden’s commitment to both issues are hard to match.

Ramaswamy is a Trump fanatic. He takes every opportunity to praise Trump, even calling him the best president of the 21st century. He vows to pardon the former president on all counts of crimes should he be elected president.

Being on the good side of Trump is a calculated political move. Not only does he grab a share of Trump followers by presenting himself as a “Trump junior,” more so, if Trump is cleared to run and wins a second term, then Ramaswamy stands in pole position to be named Trump’s vice president or, at the very least, a Cabinet secretary.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan