(The Hill) — Climate protestors interrupted GOP Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during his event in Iowa Friday night, screaming in his face and calling the biotech entrepreneur “a liar.”
Ramaswamy, who has called climate change “a hoax” in the past, was targeted by climate activists during his West Des Moines, Iowa event.
Some protestors held yellow signs that said “Vivek: climate criminal” while others yelled at the Republican candidate by saying “Do you lie to your kids like you lie to us?”
Ramaswamy kept his cool during the exchange and could be heard responding by asking if they would like “an answer” to their question.
During his appearance on Fox News Saturday morning, Ramaswamy was asked what happened at the event.
The biotech entrepreneur said it was a “normal campaign event” and believes in “free speech.”
“Some people disagreed with me, I gave them the mic, and we had a respectful conversation, and I think that’s how America was built,” Ramaswamy told host Neil Cavuto. “We don’t all have to agree on everything, but we do have the right to actually say it. They disagreed with me on my climate policies. I gave them the mic. We had an open conversation, and I think it was a respectful and good way to demonstrate what happens.”
Ramaswamy has railed against climate-conscious business policies throughout his 2024 run while repeatedly calling climate change “a hoax” that threatens “liberty” today.
“This is actually one of the grave threats to liberty today. Wherever you stand on climate change — I think most of the climate change agenda is, I’m just going to say it, is a hoax,” Ramaswamy said in August. “I’m going to call that for what it is.”
He is not the only GOP presidential candidate who faced rebukes for his positions on climate. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was interrupted Tuesday during his Fox News town hall in Iowa by environmental advocacy group Sunrise Movement that chanted “no oil money.”