MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan flattened Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy in an interview this week where he hammered the young candidate on some of his previous statements, namely attacking Donald Trump.
Hasan ran clips of the interview on his Sunday show, and at the handoff with fellow host Ayman Mohyeldin, the two men debated why Ramaswamy, a leading candidate who is gaining in the polls, was destroyed so easily on national television.
"You know what surprised me the most?" Mohyeldin began. "I know how well you prepare for your interviews. I know how seriously you take them. But I was surprised by how much Vivek was caught off guard by just you persistently pushing him to answer the question about his own words. The fact that you were just simply saying to him, 'Hey, why was this abhorrent?'"
The question he's referencing was a moment where Hasan quoted Ramaswamy's own words back to him.
Jan. 12, 2021 tweet in which Ramaswamy said, "What Trump did last week was wrong. Downright abhorrent. Plain and simple. I've said it before and did so in my piece."
Vivek Ramaswamy Trump abhorrent tweetPhoto: Screen capture
Hasan asked what he was referring to. Ramaswamy wouldn't say, only explaining what he would do as president.
Finally, after asking the question three times, Hasan said, "I want you to answer my question. Three times I've asked it. What did Donald Trump do that was 'downright abhorrent'? It's your words. ... I just want to hear from your mouth. 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗺, why won't you say what Donald Trump did that was abhorrent?"
The reference was to comments that Ramaswamy wrote in a piece denouncing Trump for Jan. 6.
Mohyeldin explained that sometimes the follow-up and dogged persistence can be the hardest thing for a politician to face when their positions change, "who lies about his past, who doesn't come clean about what he's done. And you get him in a corner and you see him squirm the way that Vivek did in that interview with you."
Hasan confessed that he was surprised by just how ill-prepared Ramaswamy was for the interview. Unmentioned, Hasan has literally written the book on debating politics and winning.
"He does a lot of interviews, Ayman," Hasan explained. "The reason he's made a name for himself is by basically going on every TV show or podcast that will have him. No one knew who he was six months ago. He's done this kind of intense media exposure strategy ala Trump in 2016. But we did a lot of preparation, my team and I. We had his tax returns. We had his tweets. We read his books. And, you know, he seems upset that we're quoting his words to him."
Hasan went on to address Mohyeldin's second question: "Was he lying then or now? I suspect he's lying now. I suspect the real Vivek Ramaswamy is the one who is genuinely horrified, like we all were with what happened on Jan. 6. Of course, now he's running for vice president, probably? Now he's running — he probably needs Trump to say — you know, Trump has been praising him, which Trump doesn't do to his rivals. The fact that Trump's praising Vivek tells you everything you need to know about what Vivek's strategy and end goal is."
See the conversation with the two below or at the link here.
Mehdi Hasan reveals why he thinks Vivek Ramaswamy 'is lying' about his past attacks on Trumpwww.youtube.com
