Donald Trump and former GOP presidential foe Vivek Ramaswamy were all smiles together at the Mar-A-Lago Trumpettes gala Saturday night — sending netizens into a frenzy amid veepstakes rumors.
Ramaswamy, 38, and his wife Apoorva were spotted entering the gala together with the 77-year-old former president and former first lady Melania Trump at the “Golden Evening for a Golden President” event.
“Vivek is here. He’s smart. He’s sharp. I was happy to get him the hell out of the race. And as soon as he got out, he endorsed me. And he’s got a tremendous future,” Trump exulted as he welcomed Vivek onto the stage Saturday evening.
“He’s young, and he’s smart. Melania and I were just saying, ‘You don’t get sharper than this.’ “
A smiling Ramaswamy quickly took to the podium and returned praise on Trump, warning that “we’re in the middle of a war in this country” and need him back in the White House.
Ramaswamy rattled off a handful of hot-button issues such as inflation and the border, while contending that Trump is best equipped to tackle them.
During his roughly 11-month bid for the presidency in the 2024 GOP cycle, Ramawamy billed himself as a hardcore MAGA acolyte keen on moving Trump’s agenda ahead. He rarely criticized Trump.
Since exiting the race, he has joined the former president on the campaign stump and has kept the door open to being Trump’s vice presidential candidate.
“It’s gotta be who is going to be a good president. You always have to think that,” Trump told Fox Business Network’s “Sunday Morning Futures” earlier this month, referring to his vice presidential pick. “I have a lot of good people. We have a lot of really good people.”
Trump also name-dropped Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in that interview, while teasing that he won’t make that decision public for a “while.”
Last month, after Trump lashed out against Ramaswamy ahead of the Iowa Caucus, a top Trump adviser suggested to The Post that people could “probably” rule out Ramaswamy as a veep candidate.
The two have since apparently mended fences.
Ramaswamy’s recent appearance alongside Trump at Mar-a-Lago helped rekindle buzz about his prospects.
“Donald Trump US President and Vivek Ramaswamy as the Vice President would cause record levels of meltdowns on here,” user Pavvy G posted on X.
Conservative podcast host Monica Crowley wrote, “President and Mrs Trump hosted Vivek and Apoorva Ramaswamy last night at Mar-a-Lago. Things are moving.”
Murmurs about Ramaswamy becoming Trump’s running mate were also stoked earlier this month by a New York Times opinion piece suggesting he’s a strong contender.
Trump is the overwhelming favorite to clinch the Republican Party nomination for the presidency.
He is still facing a challenge from his former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley but has won every single contest that featured delegates thus far and has a runaway lead in the polls.
The next major GOP contest is in South Carolina on Feb. 24.