Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy visited Winthrop University earlier today. This marks the second visit from a presidential hopeful to the campus, following Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month.
A crowd estimated at over 300 welcomed Mr. Ramaswamy. Although he was late upon arrival, the :30 minute speech provided plenty for his supporters to cheer about. From his “10 truths” to his railing on America’s independence on China, he followed a similar script to the one that has allowed him to remain in third place for the Republican nomination.
A mixture of both young and old turned out to hear his message of hope for America. According to Ramaswamy, “you ask the people from my generation, what does it mean to be an American. You get a blank stare.” He went on to discuss the importance of rebuilding American patriotism and his vision for “cleaning house” of the federal bureaucracies that are driving down our government (he used examples such as the CDC, FBI and more).
One of the largest cheers from the crowd came when he discussed ensuring the votes of the people count for something. “We the people sort out the differences where everyone’s vote counts equally, not in a BlackRock boardroom” he said. This was part of a larger topic to “drain the swamp,” borrowing a line from the leading Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.
Unlike the previously mentioned RFK JR. forum, where there was no visible press on site, local press were on hand to cover the event. This perhaps can be owed to his popularity among some republican voters.
Although there have been videos posted recently showing Mr. Ramaswamy verbally sparring with students on other campuses, no such event took place today. Once the speech was finished, a Q&A followed where the candidate answered questions from the crowd. He appeared happy to continue engaging with his supporters prior to leaving for another event that evening.
Given there have already been two candidates to visit the campus recently, don’t be surprised if additional presidential hopefuls make their way to Rock Hill in the future.
We will of course keep you informed with local, unbiased coverage you can trust.
