T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy drives a point home during his campaign stop at Pizza Ranch Wednesday night. He spoke to a packed room of supporters who were able to ask questions.

The only Presidential candidate to visit Marshalltown three times since September, Vivek Ramaswamy said he believes in showing up where others are not.

“I want to lead this country without forgetting or leaving others behind,” he said. “There’s more to this than a math equation. Part of what I am saying is we are actually going to be who represent the full country. America first includes all Americans, not just some Americans or the ones who live in the most populated areas. . . . My parents also taught me, ‘You spell luck W-O-R-K. That’s the way I’m going to lead this country.'”

Ramaswamy learned about a recent incident which occurred outside of the Marshalltown city limits — the removal of the nativity from the Toledo Fire Department lawn, and then the replacement of it with the addition of a secular display alongside the traditional nativity scene. He was asked how he would respond to such situations and answered by saying there needs to be a revival of pride in faith and patriotism.

“We are one nation under God,” Ramaswamy said. “‘God’ should not be a four-letter word in our culture, and it’s become that way. I want to stand for those values for all Americans without having to apologize for them. I think this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian values, and I have those values in common. I’m of Hindu faith, but I share those same values. My job as President is to swear an oath to the Constitution and keep it, to stand for true religious liberty. I think the revival in God, especially amongst young Americans, is going to be a good thing for our country.”

Speaking to a packed room of supporters in the Pizza Ranch on Wednesday night, the Republican candidate spent most of his time fielding questions from a variety of people, some as young as 9 years old. The questions ranged from shutting down ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) to how he would be assured a fair election could occur.

One of the questions Ramaswamy answered was regarding illegal immigration. His policies and actions would address it by March 2025, he said.

“Every town is a border town, now,” he said. “It’s a man-made problem. It’s a man-made solution. We can do this.”

Ramaswamy wants to utilize the military to secure the southern and northern borders, and use aquatic barriers on the Rio Grande. He wants to end financial aid to Central American countries until the flow of migrants is halted across those borders.

“The best policies of all are avoid the incentives to be here illegally in the first place,” Ramaswamy said. “Stop federal funding for sanctuary cities. End birthright citizenship for the kids of illegal migrants, to whom it was never actually supposed to supply.”

He added that those already here illegally must be returned to their country of origin. With only 6,000 ICE agents, Ramaswamy said other law enforcement officers, under law, could be deputized and serve the necessary warrants.

“Now you have one million people who could serve those warrants,” he said. “The country who put a man on the moon can get this done. It’s not a technical challenge. It’s a challenge of political will and fortitude.”

Ramaswamy said he would be the President with two qualities to get all of that done — someone with “sharp elbows willing to break glass when necessary,” and who knows the law and the Constitution.

“That’s what drew me into this race,” he said. “My faith teaches me God puts each of us here for a purpose, that it’s our moral duty to realize that purpose, that each of us has our own God-given gifts. I believe it’s going to take somebody with both of those skills and especially somebody with fresh legs from the next generation to actually see this through.”

Ramaswamy asked the attendees for their support during the Jan. 15 caucus, and to recruit others to do the same.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.