Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy ripped into NBC’s Kristen Welker on Wednesday during his opening remarks as her network hosted the third debate of the ongoing Republican primary.
Moderator Lester Holt asked each of the candidates to introduce themselves and to explain to conservative voters why they and not former President Donald Trump should be the party’s nominee.
Ramaswamy opened with a shot at Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, calling on her to resign.
He also fumed about how Republicans fared during elections on Tuesday in states from Kentucky to Virginia and said the Republican party has become a “party of losers.”
“I think there is something deeper going on in the Republican Party here, and I am upset about what happened last night,” he said. “We’ve become a party of losers.”
I’m sick and tired of this Republican Establishment that has made us a party of losers. Where is the accountability for years of losing: 2018, 2020, 2022 and now last night? I’m calling on @GOPChairwoman to resign tonight. pic.twitter.com/8hxVqWGlwL
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 9, 2023
Ramaswamy continued: “There is a cancer to the Republican establishment. Let’s speak the truth. I mean, since Ronna McDaniel took over as chairwoman of the RNC in 2017, we have lost 2018, 2020, 2022 — no red wave that ever came — we got trounced last night in 2023.
“And I think that we have to have accountability in our party. For that matter, Ronna, if you want to come on stage tonight, if you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them that you resign, I will … yield my time to you.”
Ramaswamy said there are elements within the GOP that want to lose, and then he ripped Daniel and the RNC for allowing NBC News to host a Republican debate.
“Think about who’s moderating this debate. This should be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk. We’d have ten times the viewership, asking questions that GOP primary voters actually care about.”
Ramaswamy then pointed to Welker and said, “Kristen … this is actually about you and the media and the corrupt media establishment. The Trump/Russia collusion hoax that you pushed on this network for years, was that real or was that Hillary Clinton-made up disinformation?”
After a second of silence, Ramaswamy called on Welker to answer him.
“Answer the question! Go!” he said.
Welker smiled and declined to address the question.
McDaniel has faced criticism from conservatives for allowing the RNC to partner up with NBC News, given the network’s left-wing partisan bent.
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