Far-right commentator Ann Coulter was slammed after making a bonkers–although on-brand–admission to former 2024 GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, saying that despite agreeing with him on "many things," she "still would not have voted" for him. Why, you ask?
Her racist reasoning:
"Because you're an Indian."
Coulter made the remark during an appearance on Ramswamy's Truth podcast following a rather spirited introduction from Ramaswamy, who described her as someone he's been "fascinated by for a long time."
According to Ramaswamy, the podcast episode, titled: "The N Word: Nationalism," would serve as a platform for Coulter to offer insights into questions about "the future direction of our country, our conservative movement, and on this question about nationalism and national identity."
Coulter responded:
"Thanks for having me. That was a fantastic opening monologue. I too am a fan of yours, though I’m going to make a point of disagreeing with you so that it will be fun. You are so bright and articulate—and I guess I can call you articulate since you’re not an American Black, can’t say that about them, that’s derogatory.”
"That was a great opening segment. [There are] lots of things to talk about there. I agreed with many, many things you said ... when you were running for president, but I still would not have voted for you because you’re an Indian.”
"We'll get back to that."
You can hear what Coulter said in the video below.
Ann Coulter on the N Word: Nationalism | S3E2 | The TRUTH Podcastyoutu.be
Ramaswamy, a billionaire entrepreneur who suspended his bid for the presidency after coming in fourth in the Iowa caucuses, is Indian-American.
He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Indian-Hindu parents from the Palakkad district in the Indian state of Kerala. He was raised in Ohio before going on to study at Harvard and later Yale Law School.
Ramaswamy nonetheless listened to Coulter's remark that there is "a core national identity that is the identity of the WASP," using an acronym for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
She further justified her racism, adding:
“And that doesn’t mean we can’t take anyone else in ― a Sri Lankan or a Japanese, or an Indian. But the core around which the nation’s values are formed is the WASP.”
Ramaswamy later noted that he and Coulter both oppose dual citizenship. Ramaswamy argued that the “essence of citizenship is which nation to whom you had your undivided loyalty.” To that end, he acknowledged that he "may fail to fully understand" Coulter's position, questioning "why on that axis of citizenship, what does ethnicity have to do with the matter?”
After the interview, Ramaswamy defended his decision to feature Coulter on his podcast, writing the following message on X, formerly Twitter:
"Ann Coulter challenged me. I challenged her. This episode will challenge you. You’re not going to want to miss it."
You can see his post below.
It didn't go over well, with many calling out Coulter's racism and his subsequent reaction.
This is not the first time Coulter has come under fire for making racist remarks about Indian-Americans.
Last year, after former South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley—who was born in South Carolina to Indian parents and has had lifelong residency in the United States—said the United States is not a "racist" or "evil" nation, she found herself on the receiving end of a racist tirade from Coulter.
Ironically, shortly after Haley issued her remarks, Coulter said Haley should "go back to [her] own country," ignoring the fact that Haley was born in the South Carolina town of Bamberg. She said Haley's "candidacy did remind me that I need to immigrate to India so I can demand they start taking down parts of their history.”
Coulter went on to call Haley a “preposterous creature” and “bimbo” and complained about Haley's decision, while still Governor of South Carolina, to take down the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse in the wake of a race-based mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.
