(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Trump, DeSantis and more 2024 candidates pack Iowa State Fair [1]
['Robin Opsahl', 'Jay Waagmeester', 'More From Author', '- August']
Date: 2023-08-12
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy participated in a “fair-side chat” with Gov. Kim Reynolds at the Iowa State Fair Aug. 12, 2023. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Vivek Ramaswamy performs a rap song, calls for revival of national identity
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy started with an early morning Saturday at the Iowa State Fair, ending his talk with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds with an impromptu performance of “Lose Yourself” by Eminem.
Hundreds gathered for the 2024 Republican candidate’s interview with Reynolds, the first of her “fair-side chats” of the day. When the governor asked what his favorite walk-out song was, he responded that it was “‘Lose Yourself,’ to be honest with you,” as the crowd laughed and cheered.
“I am really starting to understand my age, wow,” Reynolds said. “I’m gonna have to go look it up.”
The candidate had the chance to show how much he loved the song after his talk, rapping along to the Detroit rapper’s song when it was put on following his interview.
Vivek Ramaswamy is performing Lose Yourself at the Iowa State Fair: pic.twitter.com/mCEMIfijZM — Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) August 12, 2023
In his talk with Reynolds, Ramaswamy called for a revival of patriotism, saying that younger people are “hungry to believe in something bigger than ourselves.”
“And I said, it’s sitting right here right in front of us. It’s that flag on this gentleman’s shirt and his hat right here: It’s the United States of America,” Ramaswamy said. “It’s the greatest nation known to mankind. If we can revive pride in that country, I think our national problems start melting away right there.”
The candidate did not bring up his proposal to raise the voting age to 25 — with the allowance to grant 18-year-olds voting rights for public service or passing a civics test– but he did say that American civics education needs to be improved. He said Americans need to reframe their understanding of citizenship from asking what are the “privileges of citizenship” to asking “what are our duties as citizens.”
Ramaswamy cited a survey from the Reboot Foundation, an organization advocating for social media restrictions for minors under age 16, that found nearly 60% of young adults with TikTok accounts would give up their voting rights for one year if forced to choose between access to voting and the social media. The presidential candidate said that this happens because “young people don’t value a country they’re taught to hate.”
He said his two sons were at the fair. “When I will take over office, I want to look my two sons in the eye and know they live in a country where they and their generation are once again proud to be citizens of this nation. I believe that is possible, but it’s going to require each of us doing our part.”
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