GOP 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said, “A little chaos isn’t such a bad thing,” following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Ramaswamy said Tuesday it was clear that the goal of the effort orchestrated by a number of right-wing Republicans to remove McCarthy was to sow chaos in the lower chamber and called on those lawmakers to “own it.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced the resolution, forcing a non-confidence vote into McCarthy. Gaetz was joined by seven other Republicans, along with all Democrats, in voting to oust McCarthy.
While there are many questions around what’s next for the House following Tuesday’s developments, Ramaswamy asked: “Are we sure the status quo is what we want, or is a little chaos really such a bad thing?”
The businessman argued that the issue of who might be the next House speaker is much less important than other challenges facing the country, repeating his usual concerns about securing the southern border and reducing dependence on China, among other things.
“What’s the plan to replace the speaker everybody asks,” he added. “Here’s what I say, ‘Who cares?’”
While McCarthy has ruled himself out of trying to reclaim the job, six other members are reportedly vying for the role: Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Elise Stefanik, Tom Emmer, Patrick McHenry and Kevin Hern.
Ramaswamy, who garnered much attention following his performance in the first GOP primary debate, is currently in fourth place in the race, according to an average of Republican national polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight.
Ramaswamy is calling on the Republican National Committee (RNC) to change the requirements for the third debate to be held next month in Miami, Florida, so that only the four top-performing candidates in the race, apart from Donald Trump who has ruled himself out of the event, get on stage. The RNC hasn’t commented on Ramaswamy’s request.
Meanwhile, the RNC also warned Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie against making a joint appearance on Fox News, threatening to exclude them from any future RNC-sanctioned debate, according to Politico. The two candidates will now, instead, sit for “separate, back-to-back” interviews with the conservative network.