Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy directly and repeatedly criticized former President Donald Trump as "wounded" in a rare break from his pro-Trump stance throughout his White House campaign.
It is a notable change for the 2024 candidate who has mostly supported the former president as he faces 91 felony charges and two states, Colorado and Maine, that have threatened to remove him from the primary ballot due to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
TWELVE DAYS OF WEX-MAS: REPUBLICANS HEAD INTO 2024 WITH DEEP INTRAPARTY DIVISIONS
"At the end of the day, if we need a commander in chief who is going to lead us to victory, I think that our base needs to choose the general who is not yet wounded in that war," Ramaswamy said during a joint interview with NBC News's Dasha Burns and the Des Moines Register's Brianne Pfannenstiel released on Wednesday.
Trump remains the heavy favorite in the GOP primary field, but he faces uncertain legal waters this year as he fights against four criminal cases ranging from alleged hush money payments to a pornography star during the 2016 election to mishandling classified documents after leaving office to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Ramaswamy, in a sign of support for Trump, previously said he would sit out primary races in states that are threatening to remove the former president from the ballot and called on his 2024 rivals to do the same.
Despite all that, Trump's Republican rivals are battling not for first place in the primary but for second, in the hopes that should Trump prove unable to legally run for president, the runner-up could theoretically assume the nomination.
Ramaswamy, though, claims he is best suited for the role despite polling far behind Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.
"And when it comes to selecting a commander in chief, a general to lead us to victory in that war, I think I'm best positioned to do it with fresh legs, as a leader who is not yet wounded in that war," Ramaswamy said Wednesday. "And I do think a lot of people see that back in me, as well, and will be making that choice accordingly on Jan. 15."
He later added that his job would be to "take what Donald Trump started but to take this to the next level, go far further on many policies than he did, but also unite this country in the process."
Trump is polling at 62.7% in a national poll average from RealClearPolitics, with Haley at 11%, DeSantis at 10.9%, and Ramaswamy at 4.3%. In Iowa, Trump still dominates but to a lesser lead at 51.3% according to the RealClearPolitics average of Hawkeye State polls. He is followed by DeSantis at 18.6%, Haley at 16.1%, and Ramaswamy at 5.9%.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The joint interview comes ahead of the crucial Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, where the first voters will have their say in who should lead their party against President Joe Biden next year. Ramaswamy, a political novice, claims he will surprise Washington pundits despite having canceled all TV ads before Iowa and the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.
However, Ramaswamy failed to meet the 10% polling threshold required to participate in CNN's Jan. 10 primary debate in Iowa. Undeterred, he claimed this week that the debate would be boring and is instead participating in a live-studio town hall airing one hour before the debate.