Trump allies cheer Ramaswamy in effort to derail Desantis

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump and his allies have spent weeks praising Vivek Ramaswamy, a rival Republican 2024 contender, with members of the former president’s team believing the Ohio businessman’s outsider bid helps neutralize their greatest threat.

Ramaswamy emerged Wednesday as the central figure of the first Republican presidential debate, in what people familiar with the former president’s campaign strategy describe as a bid to undercut Ron Desantis.

Trump’s allies see Ramaswamy as sapping support and attention from the Florida governor, compounding the narrative that his campaign is floundering, according to the people familiar who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss strategy. It’s unclear whether there have been any discussions between the two camps.

Moreover, Ramaswamy has echoed many of the policy priorities and political philosophies championed by Trump, helping popularize dramatic proposals like eliminating huge swaths of the federal bureaucracy or pulling back from foreign alliances. Trump himself considered Ramaswamy a de facto surrogate on the debate stage and was delighted by his performance, according to one person familiar.

Trump’s team saw Wednesday’s debate as a validation of their strategy. Ramaswamy, a political newcomer, drew much of the attention and overshadowed Desantis. The governor avoided any major missteps but the debate was a lost opportunity to solidify his standing with Trump skipping the event.

Ramaswamy did “very well” and that he “especially liked” it when his ostensible rival for the nomination named him the greatest president of the 21st century, Trump said in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday.

“I said, ‘Are you sure he’s running against me?’ But I thought he was very good,” Trump said.

Trump aides were more explicit in celebrating Ramaswamy’s surge at the expense of Desantis.

“We saw the beginning of the end for Ron Desantis tonight,” Jason Miller, a Trump senior adviser, said in an interview after the debate. “Ramaswamy, we saw him leapfrog Ron Desanctimonious in real terms,” he added, using one of Trump’s derisive nicknames for his political rival.