'No word salad answers here': Vivek Ramaswamy hailed for addressing 'reverse racism' comment after getting pressed by Iowa pastor

INDIANOLA, IOWA: In an interesting turn of events, at an Iowa event on Friday night, December 29, Hawarden pastor Rev. Samuel Ansong challenged Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to a set of pushups, offering a light-hearted moment amid intense discussions on critical issues.

Ansong, who recently assumed the role of pastor at the United Methodist Church in Hawarden, posed a probing question to Ramaswamy about reconciling his platform, which declares that "reverse racism is racism" and advocates for ending programs like affirmative action, with historical prejudice tied to systemic racism.

Ramaswamy responded, "Was there a time and place for correcting for those past injustices? Yeah, it was like in 1870."

He elaborated on his stance against affirmative action and quotas, branding them as "inherently divisive," "anti-meritocratic", and "anti-American at their core".

Navigating historical injustices

Acknowledging the historical context, Ramaswamy addressed the issue of slavery and the Civil War, subtly referencing presidential candidate Nikki Haley's recent response on the cause of the Civil War. "Some people learn that later in life than others," he quipped.

The presidential hopeful insisted that while the country has not done a "perfect job" of correcting injustices, the focus should be on allowing discrimination to "atrophy to irrelevance".

"But at a certain point in time, I think that what you would think of as racism in this country — or you can fill in the blank, sexism or any other -ism or form of discrimination — it gets to be small enough, not to be zero, but small enough that the best thing we can do is let it atrophy to irrelevance," he said.

Ramaswamy criticized the anti-racist movement, defining it as "a movement that calls out for us to be more race-conscious of the differences, to correct for them," stating that it has, in fact, "created more racism in this country".

Highlighting the need to move forward, he added, "There's a time for justice and a time for mercy."

Reverend Ansong praised Ramaswamy's response, particularly noting his use of the terms justice and mercy. "If you don't have the heart to forgive, then there's no reason trying to fight for justice," Ansong told the Des Moines Register.

The event took an unexpected turn when Ansong challenged Ramaswamy to a set of pushups, citing a previous instance where the candidate engaged in pushups with Logan Paul on social media. Ansong saw this as an opportunity to promote fitness and inspire young people.

Internet reacts to Vivek Ramaswamy's remarks

Ramaswamy was hailed on social media for his straightforward response to a sensitive question.

"No word salad answers here. Just straight forward truth. This is how you earn support," one posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"'Let it atrophy to irrelevance.' That might be the best line you ever said. Great answer, well done," another added.

"The way you can calm down people on the opposite side and bring them to middle ground, is exactly what we need in a president," a comment read.

"This is why Vivek needs to be the POTUS, he actually has real conversations with all Americans from both sides of the aisle," someone else wrote.

"This was a FANTASTIC response and one MUCH NEEDED to be heard by many in this country, especially those elected officials who seem intent on dividing us," another gushed. 

While the majority praised Ramaswamy, some were left disappointed and criticized his views on racism.

"The ignorance knows no bounds... just say you don't like black ppl and keep it moving," one commented.

"Vivek does not like Black People especially when he is trying to remove Juneteenth," a user offered.

"Short answer: Black people...deal with it (racism) until it goes away," yet another chimed in.

As the Iowa presidential primary on January 15 approaches, the GOP 2024 hopefuls, including Ramaswamy, intensify their efforts to sway voters.

Former President Donald Trump maintains a significant lead in national polls, with a Fox Business poll in mid-December indicating a 34-point advantage among Iowa Republicans.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.