On the eve of tonight’s inaugural GOP debate for the 2024 election, affluent contender Vivek Ramaswamy shared a video on the now-rebranded website, Twitter of yore.
In the video, Ramaswamy is seen gearing up for the debate by executing tuck jumps within the confines of a gymnasium, accompanied by his spouse. The tune “Bring Em Out” by T.I. has been superimposed onto the footage in post-production. This is trailed by a snippet of Ramaswamy engaging in a game of tennis set to an electronic dance music (EDM) composition.
Historically, conservative factions have previously utilized exercise spaces as a backdrop for making idiosyncratic political statements. Georgia’s state representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene, took to platform X, urging the dismissal of Dr. Fauci while showcasing her regimen of overhead presses and undulating kipping pull-ups akin to the movement of jellyfish, which she touted as her safeguard against COVID-19.
More debate prep this morning, with my favorite sparring partner. ???????? pic.twitter.com/QM2xpfkD5k
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 22, 2023
This serves as a method for capturing attention, and indeed, it has proven efficacious—Ramaswamy’s workout-themed video has garnered an excess of 2 million views. Naturally, the stratagem that has drawn far more attention than his leaping tucks is a recent declaration he articulated to The Atlantic, pertaining to the events of 9/11—he seeks to unearth the veritable truth behind it. He subsequently disavowed having made such remarks, prompting The Atlantic to release both a recording and a written transcript of his statement.
Perhaps, for Ramaswamy, his intellectual and physical feats are interconnected. In 2020, he shared that navigating counter to the prevailing political currents is tantamount to “the cerebral equivalent of hitting the gym.” One might anticipate witnessing some intellectual gymnastics on the debate stage.