James O’Keefe, founder of O’Keefe Media Group, recently sat down with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for a wide-ranging interview.
The 51-minute video podcast, released on Monday, is part of O’Keefe Media Group’s presidential interview series.
EXCLUSIVE: I interview @VivekGRamaswamy for @OKeefeMedia's presidential interview series. Topics range from allegations of Soros ties to worries the GOP hopeful is actually a ‘secret Democrat’. MUST WATCH! pic.twitter.com/Ve83xQT6WB
— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) September 12, 2023
One of the first questions O’Keefe asked Ramaswamy focused on the candidate’s unusual background as someone running for president, including his artistic background of attending open mic nights in college and playing the piano.
“Usually politicians don’t rap or do poetry,” O’Keefe noted. “People that are Republicans usually don’t do artistic things.”
“I think I’ve probably always been somebody who resists structure, a little bit,” Ramaswamy, who rapped a song by rapper Eminem at the Iowa County State Fair last month, explained. “I find labels very confining. I don’t really embrace the label ‘Republican’ – yes, I tend to vote Republican – but that’s for reasons that have nothing to do with the partisan structure.”
“Viewing yourself as reduced to any identity – a political identity, an ethnic identity, even your college major, for that matter – is always something I didn’t do particularly well with,” Ramswamy added.
Later in the interview, O’Keefe questioned Ramaswamy on public concerns that he may be a “secret Democrat.”
Ramaswamy, who noted he’s been asked the question “over 100 times,” said it is “frustrating” that the public believes he’s secretly a Democrat, but also noted he understands why people may think it.
“We have been lied to for a very long time by people who have been running for office to get something for themselves – or not even running for office, making an extra buck,” Ramaswamy explained. “And so I don’t begrudge anyone anymore for earnest skepticism. I do begrudge some professional politicians and Super PAC types that then use this to cynically exploit people – that bothers me more and that does happen.”
As of press time, O’Keefe’s sit-down interview with Ramaswamy, posted at 8:03 p.m. Central Standard Time on Monday, had over 1 million views.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “James O’Keefe and Vivek Ramaswamy” by O’Keefe Media Group.
