Liberal protesters ram car into Ramaswamy campaign vehicle

October 05, 2023 09:29 PM

A group of liberal protesters rammed a car into a campaign vehicle for Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday outside a campaign stop in Grinnell, Iowa.

The scene outside the coffee house where Ramaswamy appeared included a handful of protesters who shouted obscenities at the candidate. One of the protesters inside the blue Honda Civic gave Ramaswamy the middle finger and blared the car horn. The campaign said it could not determine whether the crash was intentional, according to Fox News.

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Election 2024 Ramaswamy — Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks on the phone while viewing the damage to one of his campaign vehicle, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Grinnell, Iowa. Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign says protesters upset about his remarks in opposition to aid for Ukraine yelled and swore at him in Iowa before jumping into a vehicle, ramming a campaign car and speeding off. (Owen Barbato/Scarlet & Black via AP)

One of the protesters outside the car slammed Ramaswamy for his stance on education and public schools. The protester said their mother was a public school “worker” who deserved to be paid and respected.

“I think every person deserves to be respected, but we are failing to do right by our kids in this country,” Ramaswamy said. “Our achievement gap versus other countries is bad, and we’re all in that together. But here is what I will say: The beauty of this country is that you all have the right to express your opinions, and you’re doing it peacefully. And even though I disagree with you, I’m proud of you for expressing your views.”

The protester then accused Ramaswamy of wanting to “destroy” their mother’s livelihood, but Ramaswamy denied the accusation, claiming he wanted to “fix” public schools instead.

“We have to focus on how we’re going to improve achievement of our kids. And I think with your mom, if she’s as earnest as you’re describing, I’m sure she cares about the same thing. We’re not getting there with the existing system we have,” Ramaswamy told the protester. “So we’re gonna have to find a better way to do it. And one of the ways we’re going to do it is through open debate. You guys are doing your part. I’m gonna do mine.”

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Grinnell police said a 22-year-old woman from the small city was responsible for the crash, which she claimed was unintentional, according to local outlet KCCI. The blue car had been backing up at the time. Grinnell police were called to the scene over the property damage.

Ramaswamy is expected to travel to New Hampshire on Friday, where he will tour over the weekend before visiting another early voting state, South Carolina, on Monday.