Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy warned on Wednesday the United States is facing a "national identity crisis," which he claims is the biggest threat to the country.
Ramaswamy, who will be at the Republican debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday night, admitted his belief in the country's loss of "self-confidence" as its deepest threat was unusual, but he said self-confidence was important to succeed via capitalism.
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"I think we’re in the middle of a national identity crisis where people can’t even answer the question of what it means to be an American, and that loss of national identity is, I think, the deepest threat we face," Ramaswamy told Fox News.
"That might sound like an unconventional answer to some people because they talk about the economy, foreign policy — I think those are big challenges as well, but they are downstream of our loss of self-confidence."
He continued: "If you know who you are, you can stand up with spine on the global stage. If you know who you are, you can take risks and succeed through American capitalism as I did and so many others have living the American dream. That’s how you grow an economy."
The U.S. businessman said he was the "embodiment" of the American dream as a first-generation American and a billionaire. However, Ramaswamy warned that the country is turning into something more "foreign" than what the Founding Fathers had envisioned.
"I think the real choice we face in this primary is, do you want incremental reform from traditional Republicans? Or do you want something of a revolution?" Ramaswamy said.
"I stand on the side of revolution, and I don’t apologize for that. That makes some other people nervous, but that’s the fact of the matter of who I am and what I stand for in this race. I have a feeling that’s what the people in this country are actually going to choose."
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Ramaswamy is currently polling in third place for the GOP nomination nationwide behind former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Since Trump is not participating in the first debate, Ramaswamy will stand in the second slot on the stage, next to DeSantis.
The first debate of the 2024 elections will begin at 9 p.m. EDT.