Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has claimed that protesters intentionally rammed his car following a discussion at his campaign stop in Iowa.
According to Ramaswamy, he engaged in a civil conversation with the protesters in Grinnell before the incident occurred.
Ramaswamy retweeted an account that alleged the protesters had made offensive gestures towards him as they drove away, and that their car displayed a "Neighborhood Crime Watch" sticker. Photos circulating on social media showed the visible damage to his vehicle.
A reporter from the Daily Mail confirmed that Ramaswamy was not inside the car at the time of the collision and was unharmed. The estimated cost to repair the damage to both vehicles is approximately $600.
A video shared on social media depicted a heated debate between Ramaswamy and a group of protesters regarding his stance on the Ukraine war. However, the individual who posted the video clarified that the couple responsible for ramming into the candidate's car were separate from the protesters engaged in the discussion.
Ramaswamy expressed his belief that the two individuals responsible for the collision should be held accountable, while emphasizing that the rest of the peaceful protesters should not be judged based on the actions of a few. He stated, "Had a civil exchange with protestors today, right before two of them then got into their car & rammed it into ours... Those two should be held accountable, but the rest of the peaceful protestors shouldnt be tarred by the behavior of two bad actors."
A campaign spokesperson confirmed that they have filed a report with local law enforcement regarding the incident. Tricia McLaughlin, the spokesperson, acknowledged that the situation had clearly escalated.
Ramaswamy has been a vocal critic of the substantial financial support provided by the U.S. government to aid Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. Despite his disagreements with protesters, Ramaswamy emphasized his commitment to free speech and condemned violence as an inappropriate response.
He concluded, "I believe in free speech, especially for those who disagree with me... Violence is never the answer. We will always hold ourselves to a higher standard than the other side."
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