Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has been warming up for Wednesday night's GOP debate, sharing videos on social media of him working out ahead of the big event.
Ramaswamy, who was one of the first Republicans to announce his candidacy back in February, shared footage of him doing a series of burpees to rap music on Tuesday afternoon. A day earlier, the Republican candidate posted footage of him hitting tennis balls on a tennis court while shirtless, describing both videos as "debate prep."
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More debate prep this morning, with my favorite sparring partner. ???????? pic.twitter.com/QM2xpfkD5k
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 22, 2023
Three hours of solid debate prep this morning. ???????? pic.twitter.com/luY1k3m0wN
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 21, 2023
Ramaswamy's social media posts could be an attempt to win over voters who want a younger person as their next president. Ramaswamy, 38, is roughly half the age of former President Donald Trump, 77, the front-runner for the Republican Party's primary, and President Joe Biden, 80.
The recent posts from Ramaswamy mirror a video that Robert Kennedy Jr., a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, posted back in June. In Kennedy's video, the candidate was at an outdoor gym doing several pushups, which he claimed was for "getting in shape for my debates with President Biden!"
Getting in shape for my debates with President Biden! pic.twitter.com/ns8MdJVlmx
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 25, 2023
Ramaswamy is one of eight candidates who will attend Wednesday night's debate, with the others being Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Ahead of the debate, all participants were required to sign a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee.
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Trump has opted not to participate in the debate, citing a recent poll that gave him his biggest lead to date ahead of his opponents in the 2024 Republican primary race. The former president is widely expected to launch some form of alternative programming on the night, with reports last week suggesting he would sit down for a one-on-one with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
The decision by Trump not to attend the debate has been criticized by many, including Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's former White House press secretary, who called it a "political miscalculation." McEnany said that Trump's decision to skip the debate would play out to Biden's advantage, giving the current president an excuse to avoid a debate with Trump.