(NewsNation) — Vivek Ramaswamy says he is aligned with former President Donald Trump in many ways, but he wants to expand on the former president’s policies.
The businessman and 2024 Republican presidential candidate spoke to NewsNation’s Dan Abrams on Tuesday, outlining how his policies differ from the former president’s.
“I’m going further than Trump did, I don’t believe in just putting Betsy DeVos on top of the Department of Education and telling her to figure it out. I’ve said that I will shut down the U.S. Department of Education, which should not have existed,” Ramaswamy said.
He also said he would deploy troops to secure the nation’s southern border.
“Building the wall was a fine first step. But there are now cartel-financed tunnels underneath that wall that trucks are driving through today. I’ve said that I would use the U.S. military to secure that southern border,” Ramaswamy said.
Despite being supportive of Trump’s political agenda, Ramaswamy says he wouldn’t accept the position of vice president if Trump offered it to him.
“I don’t do well in a number two, so I’d be about as likely to accept it as he would be to accept my offer to be my vice president,” Ramaswamy said. “It’s a no.”
The former pharmaceutical executive has consistently said his campaign is about a “national revival.”
“I think people across this country are so hungry for purpose and meaning and identity that we can’t just criticize the failed Biden agenda. That gets old. The Republican Party sounds like a bunch of partisan hacks,” Ramaswamy said.
“What I’m doing in this race is I’m actually offering an affirmative vision of national identity itself.”
Vivek Ramaswamy will join NewsNation for a town hall at 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 14. Find out how to tune in to NewsNation on your local channel lineup.