Vivek Ramaswamy drops out of race for 2024 US Republican presidential nomination

Vivek Ramaswamy, the youthful entrepreneur who briefly threatened to disrupt the Republican primaries, has suspended his campaign for president, his team said on Monday after disappointing results in the Iowa caucuses.

“As of this moment we are going to suspend this presidential campaign”, Ramaswamy said. “There’s no path for me to be the next president absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country.”

Ramaswamy’s withdrawal from the race comes after the 38-year-old failed to build on a strong start to his campaign in a state where he spent significant money and time hoping to gain traction.

Virtually unknown before he announced his run for president, Ramaswamy rose to third place in national polls over the summer, amid a slew of appearances on cable news.

His popularity, including in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire declined since then, as Donald Trump maintained his convincing lead, and voters gravitated toward candidates with more political experience.

Addressing supporters in Iowa on Monday evening, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump. “As I’ve said since the beginning, there are two America first candidates in this race and I called Donald Trump to tell him that.”

“I congratulated him on his victory and now going forward he will have my full endorsement for the presidency, and I think we’re gonna do the right thing for this country.”

Ramaswamy is scheduled to appear at a Trump campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Ramaswamy, who made millions of dollars in a career in the biotech industry, became one of the most visible candidates through media appearances and a relentless engagement in culture wars.

As the youngest person running for the Republican nomination, and as a son of Indian immigrants, he