US Presidential elections: Ramaswamy opts out of 2024 race after poor Iowa Caucus showing, endorses Trump

Vivek Ramaswamy, a US Republican Party member has dropped out of the 2024 US presidential race after a poor Iowa Caucus showing, paving the way for former President Donald Trump to emerge as the top candidate for the party.

The Indian-origin leader said that he is endorsing Trump for President.

"Vivek Ramaswamy will end his Republican presidential bid after a disappointing finish in Iowa," said the entrepreneur's spokesperson.


Trump has won the all important Iowa caucuses, cementing his front-runner status in his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are Trump's most prominent primary rivals. Both of them are aiming for the silver spot in Iowa.

Race in Iowa

Trump led the race in Iowa, with DeSantis finishing in the second place, edging out former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as they battle to emerge as the chief alternative to Trump, as per Edison Research.

"THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

With nearly 90% of the expected vote tallied, Trump had 50.9%, while DeSantis was at 21.4% and Haley 19.0%, according to Edison. The largest margin of victory for an Iowa Republican caucus had been 12.8 percentage points for Bob Dole in 1988.

The Iowa caucuses, which commenced on Monday, mark the official start of the lengthy process for selecting the Republican and Democratic nominees for the upcoming presidential election on November 5 of this year.

Ramaswamy's future as a Republican

A fervent supporter of Trump and his politics, Ramaswamy with his quick wit, deep pockets, and combative style of campaigning, has most definitely guaranteed himself a place in Republican politics moving forward.

In the last days before the Iowa caucuses, Trump turned against him, labelling him a "fraud" and said that supporting Ramaswamy meant supporting the "other side."

Nonetheless, Ramaswamy garnered some backing, or at the very least attention, from techies and libertarian audiences. Among them was Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc., who Ramaswamy told Reuters he had seen at a fall fundraising event.