It is becoming increasingly obvious that Ramaswamy is running, not as Trump’s competitor, but as his even more extreme reactionary surrogate. To what end? What does he want?
As far as I can tell, here are the possibilities:
- To increase his profile in an effort to become a reactionary media star;
- To become Trump’s VP, and inherit the party in 2028; or
- To become the leading figure in the party in 2028, but from the outside–i.e., to avoid all of Trump’s baggage.
No sane person would want to be Trump’s VP. If you think that’s a great job, talk to Mike Pence. The first and third alternatives are not mutually exclusive. My guess is that it is #3, possibly mixed with #1.