GOP Candidate Ramaswamy Changes Stance on Juneteenth Holiday

Republican presidential contender, Vivek Ramaswamy, recently surprised many with his shifting perspective on the Juneteenth holiday. Speaking to a predominantly White audience in Iowa, Ramaswamy described the Juneteenth holiday as “unnecessary” and advocated for its discontinuation.

Contrastingly, merely two months prior, Ramaswamy had shared a video expressing his support for Juneteenth. In it, he referred to the day as a “fresh holiday” and linked it to a “recognition of the American Dream.” The video, shared on June 19, 2023, concluded with Ramaswamy wishing his viewers a “Happy Juneteenth.”

Such a stark shift in stance has led some political analysts to speculate that Ramaswamy might be engaging in opportunistic political posturing, potentially to appeal to a certain segment of White conservative voters.

In the midst of these unfolding events, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, a biracial presidential candidate also campaigning in Iowa, responded to Ramaswamy’s comments. Speaking to NBC News, Hurd described Ramaswamy’s tactics as “not genuine” and dismissed them outright.

The topic of Juneteenth came up during Ramaswamy’s speech as he proposed the idea of instituting a voters’ holiday by doing away with an existing one. “Let’s reconsider Juneteenth or some of the other recently established ones,” Ramaswamy suggested to the audience, who responded with fervent agreement.