Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has stoked more controversy after taking part in an interview with notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
The 38-year-old is an outside contender to clinch the GOP nomination but is gaining attention for his outspoken and attention-grabbing views.
Earlier this month Mr Ramaswamy was widely panned for an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, a topic which took centre stage when he sat down with Jones for an episode of his Truth podcast.
“I’m making the case, I think it’s sane, that on the one hand, absolutely Israel is our ally, what happened to them was wrong, it was barbaric, it was medieval, and of course, they have the right to national self-defence,” Mr Ramaswamy said.
“But I’ve also said that we should not want to enter a broader regional conflict in the Middle East that doesn’t advance US interests because we have to learn from our prior mistakes.”
Much of his icy exchange with Hannity centred on Mr Ramaswamy’s criticism of fellow GOP candidate Nikki Haley’s reported connections to national defence firms.
Vivek Ramaswamy is an outside chance to become the GOP candidate— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“So I also pointed to others in the Republican Party like Nikki Haley who screech ‘finish them! finish them,’ talking about Hamas and Iran like there’s no distinction. Finish them! Okay, what are the consequences of that for the United States of America?” Mr Ramaswamy said.
“So interestingly, this guy Hannity — I was very disappointed — comes after me for pointing out that Nikki Haley has made $8m after her time as the US Ambassador to the UN as a military contractor and otherwise.”
Alex Jones has promoted conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook massacre and 9/11— (AP)
The exchange came after Mr Ramaswamy accused Republicans of “selective moral outrage” and suggested demands for action against Hamas were driven by “financial and corrupting” influences.
The tech entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist said the Fox News interview was a “wake-up call” and called it a “disaster” after previously being touted as the network’s preferred non-Trump contender.
Ramaswamy criticised fellow GOP candidate Nikki Haley’s reported connections to national defence firms in his Fox interview— (AP)
In the Hannity appearance, Mr Ramaswamy took issue with the line of questioning, accusing the right-wing channel of falling into line with the “mainstream media”.
“I’m enjoying this. You have been laughing about the fake news media how many times for the last several years,” he said.
“And now you’re buying the mainstream media narrative when you know how corrupt it is.”
But in Mr Ramaswamy’s friendly sit down with Jones, the pair seemingly breezed past much of the host’s history with 9/11 and Sandy Hook conspiracy theories.
Jones was found guilty in October 2022 of defaming the families of Sandy Hook victims after spending years suggesting the shooting was a hoax and accusing the families of being actors.
He was ordered to pay a collective $1.5bn to those impacted.
