Who is Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy?

Vivek Ramaswamy was one of eight candidates who took to the state on Wednesday night for the first Republican primary debate.

He, along with his rivals, aimed to use the debate to reach voters who have been frequently distracted by the activities of the current front-runner – former president Donald Trump, who did not participate in the event.

Here, The National takes a look at Mr Ramaswamy and his platform.

Who is Vivek Ramaswamy and what is his net worth?

Mr Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian immigrant parents.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology from Harvard, and interned and worked at a handful of major hedge funds before founding his own company, biotechnology firm Roivant Sciences.

Forbes has estimated his net worth at about $950 million.

Mr Ramaswamy is married and has two children. He is a Hindu, a vegetarian and is fluent in Tamil.

What is the major focus of his campaign?

Mr Ramaswamy has based his campaign on a series of “truths”, which include “God is real”, “human flourishing requires fossil fuels” and “an open border is no border”.

He has also made it a point to tackle “wokeism”, with his “truths” outlining his stance on topics such as gender and racism. He also called the climate crisis a “hoax” during the debate.

And of course, he has also espoused the tried-and-true, diehard patriotism popular among Republicans, calling the US Constitution “the strongest guarantor of freedoms in history”.

Republican rivals show support for Donald Trump – video

“We are a young country – just three lifetimes separate us from the revolution,” he wrote in an op-ed for The New York Post.

“Fourscore years from now, I hope 2023 is remembered as the beginning of a new revolution to ensure that once again the people of this country are sovereign.”

His similarities to Mr Trump have been frequently noted.

“If you have wondered what Trumpism after Trump looks like, ask no further,” political writer David Freedlander wrote on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

How did he do in the debate?

Mr Ramaswamy not only launched the most attacks on his rivals during the debate, he was also the target of most of their jibes.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie compared him to ChatGPT, suggesting that Mr Ramaswamy spit out fast answers that did not always make sense, according to The New York Times.

“You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows,” former UN envoy Nikki Haley told Mr Ramaswamy, blasting him over his suggestion the US should cut military aid to Ukraine.

But Mr Ramaswamy hit back, saying, “I’m the only person on the stage who isn’t bought and paid for”, accusing Mr Christie of angling for a cable news contributor contract and sarcastically wishing Ms Haley good luck “in your future career on the boards of [defence contractors] Lockheed [Martin] and Raytheon”.

Mr Ramaswamy made a number of remarks about his youth – he is only 38 – and has throughout his campaign suggested that it was time for the younger generation to take control of the Republican Party.

He also spoke more than every other candidate except former vice president Mike Pence.

The former entrepreneur was the only candidate to gain some ground on Mr Trump, receiving a 0.8 per cent bump following the debate.

Record breaker

The most total field goals made in NBA history, as well as the most consecutive games scoring 10 or more points
The only player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists
Four-time regular season MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP
Six-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Rookie of the Year in 2004
The most All-NBA selections with 21 in a row, including a record 13 first team selections
The most consecutive All-Star selections with 21
The only player to play alongside his son; Bronny James was chosen by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft

Results:

5pm: Baynunah Conditions (UAE bred) Dh80,000 1,400m.

Winner: Al Tiryaq, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Abdullah Al Hammadi (trainer).

5.30pm: Al Zahra Handicap (rated 0-45) Dh 80,000 1,400m:

Winner: Fahadd, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.

6pm: Al Ras Al Akhdar Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m.

Winner: Jaahiz, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.

6.30pm: Al Reem Island Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m.

Winner: AF Al Jahed, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.

7pm: Al Khubairah Handicap (TB) 100,000 2,200m.

Winner: Empoli, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh80,000 2,200m.

Winner: Shivan OA, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

While you're here

Hussein Ibish: Could it be game over for Donald Trump?

Joyce Karam: Trump's campaign thrown off balance

Trump tests positive: everything we know so far

While you're here

Lokman Slim – the assassination of a most elegant critic

Saudi Arabia welcomes US President Joe Biden's speech

Yemen takes centre stage as Biden’s Middle East priority

LIVING IN...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Profile Idealz

Company: Idealz

Founded: January 2018

Based: Dubai

Sector: E-commerce

Size: (employees): 22

Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)

UAE%20SQUAD

%3Cp%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Aryan%20Lakra%2C%20Ashwanth%20Valthapa%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20CP%20Rizwaan%2C%20Hazrat%20Billal%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%20and%20Zawar%20Farid.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP

%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%0D%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EAlexandra%20Eala%20(Philippines)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The burning issue

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars