EXCLUSIVE: MILWAUKEE — Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital that President Trump was "energetic" after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday, calling him an "inspiration" and saying he will "be the one to unite the country" while praising his "outstanding" pick of Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with Ramaswamy shortly after Trump announced on Monday that Vance, R-Ohio, is his pick for vice president.
"He’s going to be an awesome VP," Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital, adding that he has known him "for over a decade."
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Ramaswamy and Vance were classmates at Yale Law School and both grew up in southwest Ohio.
"I think he is going to be not only a good policy voice, but his story is an American Dream story, and I think that he will give inspiration to a lot of people, but he also wants policies that allow a lot of people to live the same dream he has," Ramaswamy said. "And I love him."
"He’s in politics for the right reasons. He’s honest. And I just think he’s a great choice, outstanding," Ramaswamy added.
Vance grew up in a working-class family in a small city in southwestern Ohio. His parents divorced when he was young, and as his mother struggled for years with drug and alcohol abuse, Vance was raised in part by his maternal grandparents.
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After high school graduation, Vance enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in the Iraq War. He later graduated from Ohio State University and earned a law degree at Yale University.
Vance, who lives in Cincinnati, moved to San Francisco after law school and worked as a principal in a venture capital firm owned by billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who later became a major financial supporter of Vance's successful 2020 campaign for the Senate.
Before running for Senate, Vance grabbed national attention after "Hillbilly Elegy," which tells his story of growing up in a struggling steel mill city and his roots in Appalachian Kentucky, became a New York Times bestseller and was made into a Netflix film. The story spotlighted the values of many working-class Americans who became supporters of Trump's policies.
Ramswamy also told Fox News Digital he feels Vance will attract young voters but also "more than that."
"I think he’s going to attract a lot of people who are hungry for economic mobility in the country, and I think he’s even going to attract a lot of people who aren’t traditional Republicans," he said.
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy reflected on the assassination attempt on former President Trump on Saturday at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He told Fox News Digital that the former president and Republican nominee is handling the days after the attempt on his life "admirably."
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"I spoke to President Trump that night. It was 12:30 a.m., and he was as energetic as ever," Ramaswamy said. "And I just think he demonstrated through his action … in that moment to say, ‘I’m going to take the hit and still stand up for the people who I am here to represent, that I was put here to lead.’"
He added, "I think it's admirable, and I think he gave inspiration to a lot of Americans, even some who may not agree with him on everything. I think it's going to be a moment for the history books."
Trump was hit as multiple shots were fired toward the stage from an elevated position near the outdoor venue where he was holding his rally on Saturday. The bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear before the former president was rushed from the stage by Secret Service agents.
The would-be assassin was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by a Secret Service sniper soon after he opened fire.
But Crooks killed one spectator: Corey Comperatore, a father, husband and former fire chief in Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania.
Authorities say two other people were critically injured in the attack, and the FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt.
"It was a tragedy for the person who died, and we have to remember that, and our heart goes out to their family," Ramaswamy said.
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"But we avoided by miracle what would have been a national tragedy, and I think it is an opportunity for us to take a step back and ask ourselves what is important in this country," he said. "We care about one country, and I believe President Trump is going to be the one who unites the country."
As for the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee, Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital he is looking forward to "candor."
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"I think Saturday night was a wake-up call, and hopefully that will cut through standard stump-speech-style verbiage," he said, adding that there are "a lot of good people here who hopefully will speak from the heart."
"I think it will be good for the country," he told Fox News Digital. "I think it will start the process of turning the page on a chapter of national toxicity that I hope we put behind us."
