- GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy rapped to an Eminem song at the Iowa State Fair.
- The biotech millionaire said he liked the song because it is “young and scrappy.”
- Ramaswamy has had a surprise surge in the polls and is now challenging Ron DeSantis for second place.
Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy brought out his rapper alter-ego “Da Vek” on the campaign trail on Saturday.
The 38-year-old biotech millionaire grabbed the mic and rapped a verse of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” while on stage at the Iowa State Fair.
In the video, Ramaswamy, a conservative firebrand, can be seen greeting people from on-stage before suddenly bursting out into a verse in front of the cheering crowd.
—The Hill (@thehill) August 12, 2023
During a "Fair-Side Chat" with Iowa's governor, Kim Reynolds, at the fairgrounds, he said the Eminem song was his favorite to walk out to at campaign events because it was "young and scrappy."
Ramaswamy has previously revealed that he used to rap about Libertarian politics as an undergraduate at Harvard.
"I saw myself, honestly, making it big through American capitalism, and that's why the Eminem story spoke to me," Ramaswamy told Politico earlier this year.
The long shot candidate has recently had a surprising surge in the polls that has seen him challenging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place behind frontrunner former President Donald Trump.
Polls show that Ramaswamy, the son of Indian immigrants, is generally favored by younger Republicans, who he has focused much of his outreach on.
Along with his rap performance, Ramaswamy also spoke about his belief that "the climate change agenda" is a "hoax" and said he would abolish various government agencies, including the FBI and IRS.
Former President Donald Trump and DeSantis were also campaigning at the fair.