2024 GOP Hopeful: US May Cease to Exist in Hypothetical Conflict Against Russia, China

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States could cease to exist in the event of a war against Russia and China, 2024 Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

“I think there’s a chance that if we enter war with nuclear, allied Russia and China, the United States as we know it, we may take a risk of it ceasing to exist,” Ramaswamy said on Thursday.

The United States lacks nuclear defense capabilities and security efforts have not been focused on homeland defense for a long time, Ramaswamy added, noting Washington is incentivizing China to pursue unilateral reunification with Taiwan by driving Beijing closer to Moscow and cementing a military alliance between them.

The GOP hopeful further indicated that the United States ought to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine in an effort to pull Russia away from China.

Washington’s defense commitments to Taiwan should depend on whether the United States has achieved semiconductor independence from the island, Ramaswamy also said, adding he believes domestic semiconductor independence can be achieved within his first term if elected resident in 2024.

Speaking specifically to the Ukraine conflict, Ramaswamy emphasized that he has lost prospective campaign donors due to his stance on the hostilities.

“There’s no doubt that I have lost otherwise willing and interested donors, or potential megadonors, to my campaign over my position on Ukraine,” Ramaswamy said on Thursday.

The United States has no discernible national interest in involving itself in the Ukraine conflict, he said; however, there is a bipartisan, institutional consensus among US officials to avoid confronting facts about Ukraine.

Ramaswamy stated Washington should instead negotiate an end to the conflict in an effort to pull Moscow away from Beijing in a peace deal that ought to include guarantees Ukraine will not join NATO.

Although Ramaswamy lost potential campaign donors due to his foreign policy positions, billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk responded to the interview with Carlson, calling Ramaswamy a “very promising candidate.”

Ramaswamy is currently polling third among Republican presidential candidates, behind former US President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to FiveThirtyEight primary poll averages.

The first Republican primary debate is scheduled for Wednesday.