Ramasamy talked about leaving NATO during discussions with experts and his supporters, POLITICO reporters learned from three interlocutors who attended the talks. If this candidate wins in November – fortunately unlikely – NATO's days may be numbered.
Last October, Ramasamy told POLITICO that the idea of the U.S. leaving NATO was “fair,” but stopped short of advocating for the U.S. to leave the North Atlantic alliance.
Such a move would weaken NATO and the alliance's ability to deter Russia. It could spark the biggest crisis in transatlantic relations in decades and call into question America's willingness to defend or support allies in times of need.
“He has grave concerns.”
Ramasamy personally believes it is time to remove the US from NATO. Tricia McLaughlin, Ramasamy's campaign spokeswoman, declined to comment directly on what he would do about NATO when asked about the presidential candidate's views on the issue. However, he did not deny reports of Ramasamy's attitude towards the North Atlantic Alliance.
“Vivek is deeply concerned that most NATO allies have not lived up to their military investment commitments. He also believes that post-Cold War NATO has unnecessarily increased the risk of a major conflict with Russia,” he said.
Lawmakers on both sides of the US political spectrum have moved to block the end of Washington's participation in NATO. The US Congress has approved legislation that would prevent any president from unilaterally ending US participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“Ramaswamy likely to join republic administration”
Ramasamy is unlikely to get a chance to order withdrawal from NATO. Polls show him sitting in fourth place in national polls and unlikely to win Iowa and New Hampshire.
Vivek Ramasamy
However, Ramasamy is not the only Republican candidate skeptical of NATO. As president, Trump has discussed pulling the U.S. out of the alliance and may do so if he returns to the Oval Office.
“We must complete the process we began under my administration to fundamentally reassess NATO's mission and mission.” We read on the Trump campaign website.
Ramasamy is likely to join a Republican administration, especially if Donald Trump becomes president, as he is a supporter of the former head of state. Ramasamy has also been in touch with Tucker Carlson, another supporter of the former US president.
Ramasamy did not seek to exclude America entirely from world affairs.
Ramasamy favors solutions that appeal to Trump's base He made a deal with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, cutting economic ties with China and ending US military operations abroad. He also recommended ending aid to Israel — even after the October 7 Hamas attack.
Ramasamy, however, did not seek to exclude America entirely from world affairs. He encouraged military strikes on Mexican drug cartels to stem the spread of fentanyl and warned other countries, such as China, that they would “pay dearly” if they moved deeper into the Western Hemisphere.