By
After grabbing attention during last week’s first GOP debate, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy joined “Meet the Press”, where he weighed in on a variety of topics. Here are some of the takeaways:
The Jacksonville shooting and racism: “Is there existing racism in the United States? Of course there is. But those last, burning embers of racism, the last thing I want to do is throw kerosene on it. And yet, that’s exactly what I believe the modern culture is doing by creating race-based quota systems that deny people access to goods or services based on the color of their skin … I think the right answer is actually to restore colorblind equality, colorblind meritocracy, embrace what unites us across our diversity instead of celebrating our skin-deep diverse attributes.”
Running against Trump: “I believe I can take the America First agenda even further than Donald Trump did. I think I will be more effective in uniting this country in the process.”
Federal government: “Mass layoffs are absolutely what I will bring to the D.C. bureaucracy.”
Pence’s actions on Jan. 6: “I would have done it very differently. I think that there was a historic opportunity that he missed to reunite this country in that window … Here’s what I would have said, ‘We need single-day voting on Election Day. We need paper ballots, and we need government-issued ID matching the voter file. And if we achieve that, then we have achieved victory, and we should not have any further complaint about election integrity.’”
Trump’s actions on Jan. 6: “I’ve also been very clear, Chuck, and I want to be clear today, that I would have made very different judgments than Donald Trump did that day and on many of the matters in his path out of office. But there is a difference between a bad judgment and a crime.”
His 2020 vote: “I was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. That is accurate … So, I was deeply skeptical, but I judge based on results, and I voted for him with confidence in 2020.”
Watch the full interview here.
In other campaign news …
Back at home: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis returned to his home state after a racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville, where a white gunman killed three Black people, and DeSantis was booed at the vigil. DeSantis also canceled his Monday campaign events as a major storm approached Florida, per NBC News’ Alec Hernandez
Newsom nuisance: Biden’s political advisers are annoyed at California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to debate Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, NBC News’ Jonathan Allen, Carol E. Lee and Monica Alba report. They write that Biden’s team believes the debate “carries more risk than potential reward.”
On the airwaves: The pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down is planning a $25 million ad blitz in Iowa and New Hampshire in September and October, per the Washington Post.
Missed opportunity?: The New York Times explores how last week’s GOP debate was “the moment that wasn’t” for South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
Youngkin’s move: Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who continues to be mentioned as a potential presidential contender, is planning to prioritize a 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, if Republicans take control of the state legislature in November, per NBC News’ Gary Grumbach.
Houston, ready for takeoff: The Republican National Committee chose Houston, Texas as the site of the 2028 presidential convention.
Thinking about it: Republican Kari Lake, who lost last year’s race for governor in Arizona, told Fox News over the weekend that she is “contemplating” a Senate run, adding that “this is the season for saving our country.”
New York state of mind: House GOP conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is planning a $100 million effort to defend Republican House seats in the Empire State.
Throwback: NBC News’ Steve Kornacki details a time when a Republican frontrunner nearly blew a lead in Iowa bigger than Trump’s lead now.