Vivek Ramaswamy

It's not like we're swimming in a cash surplus right now. We're at $34 trillion national debt and growing. And I think pretty soon the interest payments are going to be the largest line item in our own federal budget. So it's not like we have money willy-nilly to just hand over for free. That's the less important reason though. The more important reason is that it makes sure that our allies are

It's not like we're swimming in a cash surplus right now. We're at $34 trillion national debt and growing. And I think pretty soon the interest payments are going to be the largest line item in our own federal budget. So it's not like we have money willy-nilly to just hand over for free. That's the less important reason though. The more important reason is that it makes sure that our allies are

It's not like we're swimming in a cash surplus right now. We're at $34 trillion national debt and growing. And I think pretty soon the interest payments are going to be the largest line item in our own federal budget. So it's not like we have money willy-nilly to just hand over for free. That's the less important reason though. The more important reason is that it makes sure that our allies are

have actual skin in the game to not have skewed incentives to actually enter conflicts where they're not actually bearing the full cost of those conflicts. So take NATO, for example, most NATO countries, literally a majority of NATO countries today do not pay or contribute 2% of their GDP to to their own national defense, which is supposedly a requirement to be in NATO.

have actual skin in the game to not have skewed incentives to actually enter conflicts where they're not actually bearing the full cost of those conflicts. So take NATO, for example, most NATO countries, literally a majority of NATO countries today do not pay or contribute 2% of their GDP to to their own national defense, which is supposedly a requirement to be in NATO.

have actual skin in the game to not have skewed incentives to actually enter conflicts where they're not actually bearing the full cost of those conflicts. So take NATO, for example, most NATO countries, literally a majority of NATO countries today do not pay or contribute 2% of their GDP to to their own national defense, which is supposedly a requirement to be in NATO.

So majority of NATO countries are failing to meet their basic commitment to be in NATO in the first place. Germany particularly is, I think, arbitraging the hell out of the United States of America. And I don't think that I'm not going to be some sort of you know, shrill voice here saying, so therefore we should not be supporting any allies or providing security blankets. No, I'm not.

So majority of NATO countries are failing to meet their basic commitment to be in NATO in the first place. Germany particularly is, I think, arbitraging the hell out of the United States of America. And I don't think that I'm not going to be some sort of you know, shrill voice here saying, so therefore we should not be supporting any allies or providing security blankets. No, I'm not.

So majority of NATO countries are failing to meet their basic commitment to be in NATO in the first place. Germany particularly is, I think, arbitraging the hell out of the United States of America. And I don't think that I'm not going to be some sort of you know, shrill voice here saying, so therefore we should not be supporting any allies or providing security blankets. No, I'm not.

I'm not going in that direction. What I would say is you got to pay for it, right? Pay for your fisher, A, because we're not swimming in excess money ourselves. But B is it tells us that you actually have skin in the game for your own defense, which actually then makes nations far more prudent in the risks that they take, whether or not they enter war versus if somebody else is paying for it.

I'm not going in that direction. What I would say is you got to pay for it, right? Pay for your fisher, A, because we're not swimming in excess money ourselves. But B is it tells us that you actually have skin in the game for your own defense, which actually then makes nations far more prudent in the risks that they take, whether or not they enter war versus if somebody else is paying for it.

I'm not going in that direction. What I would say is you got to pay for it, right? Pay for your fisher, A, because we're not swimming in excess money ourselves. But B is it tells us that you actually have skin in the game for your own defense, which actually then makes nations far more prudent in the risks that they take, whether or not they enter war versus if somebody else is paying for it.

And somebody else is providing our security guarantee. Hey, I might as well, you know, take the gamble and see where I end up at the end of a war versus the restraint that that imposes on the decision making of those allies. So now let's bring this home to the Department of Defense. I think the top goal of the U.S.

And somebody else is providing our security guarantee. Hey, I might as well, you know, take the gamble and see where I end up at the end of a war versus the restraint that that imposes on the decision making of those allies. So now let's bring this home to the Department of Defense. I think the top goal of the U.S.

And somebody else is providing our security guarantee. Hey, I might as well, you know, take the gamble and see where I end up at the end of a war versus the restraint that that imposes on the decision making of those allies. So now let's bring this home to the Department of Defense. I think the top goal of the U.S.

defense policy establishment should be to provide for the national defense of the United States of America. And the irony is that's what we're actually doing most poorly. We're not really using other than the Coast Guard. We're not really using the U.S. military to prevent crossings at our own southern border and crossings at our other borders.

defense policy establishment should be to provide for the national defense of the United States of America. And the irony is that's what we're actually doing most poorly. We're not really using other than the Coast Guard. We're not really using the U.S. military to prevent crossings at our own southern border and crossings at our other borders.

defense policy establishment should be to provide for the national defense of the United States of America. And the irony is that's what we're actually doing most poorly. We're not really using other than the Coast Guard. We're not really using the U.S. military to prevent crossings at our own southern border and crossings at our other borders.

In fact, the United States of America, our homeland, I believe is less secure today than it has been in a very long time. Vulnerable to threats from hypersonic missiles where China and Russia, Russia certainly has capabilities in excess of that of the United States.

In fact, the United States of America, our homeland, I believe is less secure today than it has been in a very long time. Vulnerable to threats from hypersonic missiles where China and Russia, Russia certainly has capabilities in excess of that of the United States.