To former Vice President Mike Pence, he’s “Vih-veck.” To a “Fox and Friends” panelist on Thursday morning, he was “Vee-veck.” And to some Iowa voters, it’s “Vy-vick” — if they said his name at all.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur running for president who has climbed the polls in recent weeks, has branded himself as a political newcomer who, despite participating in his first Republican debate Wednesday night, seemed at ease bringing the event to near-chaos several times as he sparred with the likes of Mr. Pence and Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor.
A different hurdle he may face, however, is getting others to say his name correctly.
The son of Indian Americans, Mr. Ramaswamy has both leaned into and away from his racial background.
He has often expressed gratitude that his parents immigrated to the “greatest nation on Earth,” and on Wednesday, he echoed a line from former President Barack Obama’s speech onstage when he introduced himself as a “skinny guy with a funny last name.” (Mr. Ramaswamy has said that “Vivek” rhymes with “cake” and pronounces his last name “Rah-muh-swah-mee.”)When Sean Hannity, the Fox News host, asked after the debate why Mr. Ramaswamy hadn’t corrected the mispronunciation sooner, the candidate laughed and said, “I appreciate best efforts.”
Persons:
Mike Pence, he’s “, ”, Vee, it’s “ Vy, vick, Vivek Ramaswamy, Pence, Chris Christie, Ramaswamy, Barack Obama’s, “ Vivek ”, “, Sean Hannity, Ramaswamy hadn’t
Organizations:
Fox, Republican, New, Fox News
Locations:
Iowa, New Jersey