On Wednesday night, MSNBC saw an exciting exchange between host Mehdi Hasan and Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy. Hasan confronted Ramaswamy about a tweet in which the latter had described Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, as “downright abhorrent.” This tweet was about the day Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol trying to halt the certification of electoral votes in favor of Joe Biden.
On January 6, when Trump supporters aggressively entered the U.S. Capitol, the nation anticipated that, if not bringing unity, Donald Trump would at least summon the DC National Guard for assistance. Unique to other divisions, the DC National Guard directly answers to the president. Many hoped for this intervention amidst the chaos.
Trump offered the National Guard on January 6 but his offer was not accepted.
Hasan repeatedly pressed Ramaswamy to elaborate on what he found so abhorrent about Trump’s actions that day. Despite multiple attempts, Ramaswamy seemed reluctant to answer directly.
“You’re dodging the question,” remarked Hasan after Ramaswamy’s initial evasion. “Can you specify what actions by Donald Trump on that day you found to be ‘downright abhorrent’?”
Ramaswamy replied, “I’m not dodging,” yet proceeded to sidestep the direct question again.
Exasperated, Hasan said, “You’ve used the words’ downright abhorrent’. I’m just asking you to explain them.”
Mehdi Hasan later took to Twitter to share a clip of the interview, commenting on the heated nature of their discussion.
Interestingly, Ramaswamy, despite his past criticisms, has been tactful in his remarks about Trump. He’s publicly lauded him and even expressed his intention to pardon Trump if he wins the presidency. In addition, Ramaswamy hinted at potentially giving Trump a role in his administration should he win the 2024 election.
For his part, Trump has expressed appreciation for Ramaswamy’s words, saying in a recent interview, “Anyone who labels me the best president in recent times… has my respect,” and even hinted that Ramaswamy might be a strong vice-presidential candidate.
