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Vivek Ramaswamy<\/strong> was never a credible presidential candidate. The biotech multimillionaire\u2014who dropped out of the Republican primary on Monday after a distant fourth-place finish in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses\u2014instead seemed to run a calculated campaign aimed at boosting his personal brand, seducing conservative media heavyweights, and landing him a future title should Donald Trump<\/strong> retake the White House. Indeed, he spent much of the race flattering the former president, regurgitating his populist talking points, and even imitating his belligerent style on the debate stage.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, Ramaswamy has repeatedly declined<\/a> to say whether he would serve in a Trump administration, claiming he is not a \u201cplan B person.\u201d But it is difficult to imagine why else he would spend his candidacy serving as an unofficial surrogate to his chief rival. During an August interview<\/a>, Trump himself appeared receptive to naming Ramaswamy as his vice presidential choice after host Glenn Beck<\/strong> floated the idea. \u201cHe\u2019s a very, very, very intelligent person. He\u2019s got good energy, and he could be some form of something,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI think he\u2019d be very good.\u201d<\/p>\n On his way out the door, however, Ramaswamy may have extinguished Trump\u2019s goodwill by promising to save the legally embattled ex-president with a presidential pardon. \u201cVivek started his campaign as a great supporter,\u201d Trump later claimed Friday over Truth Social, but \u201cnow all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks. Very sly.\u201d By exiting the race and immediately throwing his support behind Trump, Ramaswamy may have taken a step toward reconciliation.<\/p>\n Apart from wooing Trump, Ramaswamy has spent the past year making the rounds with just about any conservative media personality willing to hear him out, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson<\/strong> and right-wing podcasters Tim Pool, Candace Owens,<\/strong> and Benny Johnson.<\/strong> To pique the interests of these relatively fringe characters, Ramaswamy cosigned a number of conspiracy theories and extreme policies prominent in online right-wing circles. He has claimed the Capitol riot was \u201can inside job\u201d carried out by federal agents; defended the racist \u201cGreat Replacement\u201d narrative; called for deporting American-born children of undocumented immigrants; and said the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.<\/p>\n