GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that he would pardon former President Donald Trump if he becomes president.
Ramaswamy shared the comments during an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
“If Donald Trump's the nominee, yes, I will support him. And if I'm the president, yes, I will pardon him, because that will help reunite the country,” GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy tells @GStephanopoulos. https://t.co/kucMYBDfN6 pic.twitter.com/jXjRFyyuWO
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 3, 2023
"I do draw a distinction, George, between bad behavior and illegal behavior," Ramaswamy said during the interview with anchor George Stephanopoulos. "And once we start conflating those two things, I think we're in a long, downward slide as a country."
"I'm in this race because I believe I can lead us forward and reunite this country. But if it's not me as the nominee, I still expect that Donald Trump or whoever the Republican nominee will be better than the alternative," Ramaswamy said.
Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says that prosecuting Donald Trump is "looking backwards."
If elected, Ramaswamy says he'll pardon Trump: "That will help reunite the country"
And if Trump's the nominee, Ramaswamy says he'll vote for him.https://t.co/1AMejaD7Yh
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) September 3, 2023
“What I’ve said, it’s clear, if Donald Trump’s the nominee, yes, I will support him," he stated about pardoning the former president.
"And if I’m the president, yes, I will pardon him, because that will help reunite the country," he added.
Ramaswamy currently trails Trump by a wide margin in recent polls, though he has become a breakout candidate, sometimes rising to second place above Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
GOP presidential candidates were required to sign a pledge to participate in the primary debate that they would support the eventual Republican nominee during the general election.
So far, Trump has opted out of the debates, leaving other candidates to fight to close the gap on his lead as the former president deals with his multiple legal battles.
Ramaswamy is currently not on track to win, but if he does, expect to see a pardon for Trump in the days ahead.
