Madison Cawthorn attended Vivek Ramaswamy’s pre-debate rally in Miami, Florida Tuesday evening – but assured he is still absolutely backing ex-President Donald Trump in 2024.
The former U.S. congressman from North Carolina said he is in Miami with the goal of attending the third Republican primary debate and told .com that Ramaswamy is the only candidate on stage that ‘represents my values.’
‘Oh, I’m still hardcore for Trump,’ Cawthorn said, adding: ‘I would fight and die for Trump.’
Walking into the Cubaocho Museum & Performing Arts Center in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami on Tuesday evening with his wife Apoorva, Ramaswamy greeted Cawthorn, whom he seemed surprised to see.
Former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn attended Vivek Ramaswamy’s pre-debate night rally in Miami, Florida on Tuesday but the ex-congressman told .com he is still ‘hardcore for Trump’
Ramaswamy spoke before taking a few crowd questions – including one from Cawthorn – during an event he called a ‘Stop World War III’ rally
Ramaswamy’s campaign told .com that they did not specifically reach out to Cawthorn about attending the ‘Stop World War III’ rally ahead of time.
‘Everyone’s welcome!’ Ramaswamy’s campaign noted.
The 2024 hopeful and biotech millionaire took the final question of his event from Cawthorn and praised the former representative and die-hard Trump ally.
‘This guy is awesome,’ Ramaswamy said. ‘For those of you who don’t know, he’s an American hero.’
Cawthorn asked about bringing back industry to the U.S. from China as tensions rise between the U.S. and the communist Asian nation.
Speaking about Ramaswamy, Cawthorn told .com: ‘When I’m watching the debates, Vivek is the only guy on the stage I see who represents my values.’
He said his ‘goal’ is to try and attend the Republican debate on Wednesday at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami, Florida – but wasn’t clear on whether he has a clear path toward getting into the event.
It also wasn’t immediately clear whether the former representative was also looking to attend former President Trump’s rally just 15 miles down the road from the debate stage on Wednesday evening in Hialeah, Florida.
Ramaswamy is one of the five candidates who met the qualifications to debate on Wednesday and signed the Republican National Committee (RNC) pledge allowing them to take to the podium.
Cawthorn spoke with others at the ‘Stop World War III’ rally the night before the third presidential primary debate in Miami, Florida
Cawthorn (pictured Tuesday with a Corona beer) served in Congress from 2021-2023 but was not reelected for a second term. He told .com that he would still ‘fight and die’ for Trump, but said: ‘Vivek is the only guy on the stage I see who represents my values’
‘This guy is awesome,’ Ramaswamy said of Cawthorn. ‘For those of you who don’t know, he’s an American hero’
Trump has refused to sign the pledge to support the eventual nominee and has opted to skip the debates, claiming the events are beneath him because he is polling so far ahead of the rest of the 2024 primary field.
Along with Ramaswamy, the other debate participants are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Speaking with press at the conclusion of the event, Ramaswamy says he expects there to be more robust debate at Wednesday’s event now that the field has thinned and there aren’t ‘seven children shouting over each other.’
He noted that the second debate in Simi Valley, California in September was ‘useless’ because of all the personal attacks.