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NEW CLIP: Vivek Ramaswamy to Ohioans: Costs Aren’t Actually Rising, You Just Think They Are

Columbus, Ohio- After calling Ohioans lazy, saying that Medicaid and Medicare were mistakes, and telling struggling families to earn more, Vivek Ramaswamy now says costs aren’t really rising, Ohio families are just imagining it. 

WATCH THE CLIP HERE 

“If billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy believes Ohioans are only imagining that costs are rising, he should tell us exactly which costs he thinks aren’t going up, because those of us without a private jet know that it’s getting harder to make ends meet,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “We look forward to Ramawamy continuing to run on his platform of calling Ohioans lazy, saying Medicare and Medicaid were a mistake, and our skyrocketing bills are just in our imagination.” 

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This Week in #OHGov: “I Believe It Was a Mistake”

Columbus, Ohio- It’s been another bad week for Vivek Ramaswamy. Here’s what you missed this week as this out of touch billionaire who calls Ohioans “lazy” and “mediocre” continues to prove he has no clue what working families are going through and would continue the same failed policies that have made life more difficult and expensive.

Vivek’s Medicaid Mistake:  Unearthed video showed Vivek Ramaswamy calling Medicaid and Medicare a “mistake,” despite the more than 3 million Ohioans who rely on these cornerstone programs to get healthcare and keep costs down. 

Just Make More Money: In a brand new social media blunder, Ramaswamy says that Ohioans struggling with rising costs should simply earn more money in a video posted yesterday. It’s on brand for the guy who called Ohioans “lazy” and mediocre, and shipped his business to Texas. 

Security Scandal: Ramaswamy’s personal security guard scandal continues to haunt him in the news after ARK Protection Group officially shut down earlier this week. Ohioans deserve answers about why Ramaswamy’s team waited weeks to fire their firm following his bodyguard’s late December arrest and why Ramaswamy and his team believe they are above the law.

Greenland > Greene County: While Ohioans struggle to make ends meet, Ramaswamy is spending his time doing Fox News hits about Greenland, 2,000 miles away from the state where he’s running for governor… which we guess isn’t that far when you can fire up the private jet at a moment’s notice! 

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WXVU: Ramaswamy called Medicare and Medicaid ‘a mistake.’ Was that a mistake?

Columbus, Ohio- After Vivek Ramaswamy was caught calling Medicare and Medicaid a “mistake,” a new analysis from Howard Wilkinson shows how Ramaswamy’s own revealing “mistake” shows that in addition to being deeply out of touch with Ohio’s working families, Ramaswamy would again work to raise costs and make the government work only for billionaires and special interests. 

READ: Analysis: Ramaswamy called Medicare and Medicaid ‘a mistake’ | Howard Wilkinson, WXV

  • Four little words on an Ezra Klein podcast, uttered in October 2024, are going to haunt Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP candidate for Ohio governor, from now until the November election.
  • Asked by Klein whether or not he believed the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965, were mistakes, Ramaswamy answered without hesitation.
  • “I believe they were,” said Ramaswamy, who was still months away from becoming a candidate for Ohio governor.
  • Millions of Ohioans, most of whom vote, will be most interested in hearing Ramaswamy’s views on the social safety net programs they benefit from each and every day.
  • But pre-candidacy Ramaswamy expanded on his views in the podcast, and, to date, hasn’t changed his mind, apparently. We wanted to ask him if he wanted to “revise and extend” his remarks, as they say in Congress, but his press handlers did not respond to requests for an interview.
  • So all we have is what he said to Ezra Klein in October 2024. Medicare and Medicaid were mistakes, he said, “particularly Medicaid, particularly the welfare state, without the work requirements attached to it.”
  • Three months after making these remarks, Ramaswamy spent a couple of weeks under Elon Musk and his DOGE budget-slashing effort (under which government spending actually increased).
  • Spurned by DeWine, Ramaswamy decided to run for governor instead, despite never having spent a day in state government.
  • Ramaswamy has sworn off posting on social media for the duration of his campaign — probably a wise move, since nearly every time he did, it backfired on him. Such as with his plan for a 365-day school year for kids — an idea so far out that even many Republicans called him out on it.

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What Vivek’s Medicaid Mistake Means for Ohioans 

Columbus, Ohio- Last week, an unearthed video showed Vivek Ramaswamy calling Medicaid and Medicare a “mistake.” Here’s what Ramaswamy’s comments really mean for Ohioans.

  • More than three million Ohioans rely on Medicaid to afford healthcare, and nearly 20% of Ohioans use Medicare. Without it, working families will see their healthcare costs skyrocket and be forced to choose between putting money in their pockets and getting the healthcare they need.
  • 11 rural Ohio hospitals already rely on Medicaid to keep their doors open. Without them, families would be forced to drive greater distances for preventative care appointments and lifesaving emergency care.
  • 38% of Ohio children rely on Medicaid for their healthcare. Families will be forced to choose between skipping critical appointments and putting food on the table. 
  • Medicaid helps 63% of Ohio nursing home residents to afford the care they need. Without it, seniors and their families will be forced to pay higher out of pocket costs or sacrifice their health and safety to stay at home. 

“Vivek Ramaswamy has called Ohioans lazy, moved his business from Ohio to Texas, and says cornerstone healthcare programs that lower costs for millions of Ohioans were a mistake. Ohioans can’t trust him to fight for working families or keep them safe and healthy,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer.

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5 Questions Vivek Ramaswamy Must Answer Surrounding Growing Personal Bodyguard Scandal

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cleveland.com recently reported that Vivek Ramaswamy’s family bodyguard was arrested on federal drug-trafficking charges, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Additional reporting found that two other personal bodyguards used by Ramaswamy were not registered with the state. 

Vivek Ramaswamy’s decision to hire a security firm that broke state law and only firing the firm after his bodyguard’s arrest was publicly reported raises key questions that he must answer:

  1. You severed ties with ARK protection only after Cleveland.com’s most recent reporting. Why did you wait more than a week after one of their bodyguards was charged with fentanyl trafficking? 
  1. How can Ohioans trust that you will tackle Ohio’s opioid crisis when your own bodyguard is facing federal charges for dealing fentanyl and methamphetamine? 
  1. You called Medicaid a “mistake” but it funds as much as 60% of substance use disorder treatments in Ohio. What’s your message to Ohioans dealing with substance use disorders who would see their treatment costs rise under your agenda?
  1. How will you make up the funding for local public safety and addiction services that will be decimated by your plan to end property taxes entirely? 
  1. Why do you think you and your staff are above the law? 

Read more about Vivek Ramaswamy’s bodyguard being arrested for drug trafficking and violating Ohio’s security registration laws: 

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