Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beasy/Getty
The clear outlier on the debate stage Wednesday evening was Vivek Ramaswamy. He played Trump 2.0 on the scene by fiercely interrupting other candidates and constantly referring to himself as the “not bought by corporate money politician.” Ramaswamy’s strategy was clearly a nod to the front-runner of the Republican primary, Donald Trump, who also started his 2016 campaign by saying, “I’m so rich I can’t be bought.”
Ramaswamy might be the first candidate I’ve ever seen to imitate the ignorant arrogance of Trump and then quickly switch lanes and say, “I’m a skinny kid with a funny name,” clearly a nod to former president Barack Obama’s 2004 DNC speech where he introduced himself to the nation. But Ramaswamy’s policy plans, like Trump’s, are insidious; Ramaswamy wants to completely dismantle the foundations our country was built on.
Two of the most significant policy ideas Ramaswamy’s constantly been pushing—rescinding birthright citizenship and elevating the voting age from 18 to 25—reveal a profound commitment to overhauling fundamental aspects of our Constitution. It’s not just about trimming budgets and reducing staff; it’s about reshaping the very core of our founding document.