Vivek Ramaswamy lamented the state of American culture in a message outlining a pathway to creating a “new golden era” for the United States.
The former Republican presidential candidate warned on Thursday that “our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.”
In a lengthy post to X, Ramaswamy blamed decadeslong cultural trends as the reason “top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ Americans.” He argued that the decline of U.S. citizens choosing to pursue engineering stemmed from kids growing up in a lazy, culture that has long promoted “the prom queen over the math olympiad champ” and “the jock over the valedictorian.”
The words of Ramaswamy, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for co-chairman of the incoming Department of Government Efficiency, come as experts have warned the U.S. is facing a shortage of engineers, saying that “nearly one in three engineering roles will remain unfilled each year through at least 2030.”
Ramaswamy continued to express hope that Trump’s election could mark a cultural reset, with a focus on practices such as “more extracurriculars, less ‘hanging out at the mall’” that could lead to a resurgence of top technical talent in the U.S.
“This can be our Sputnik moment. We’ve awakened from slumber before & we can do it again. Trump’s election hopefully marks the beginning of a new golden era in America, but only if our culture fully wakes up,” he wrote. “A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness.”
Ramswamy’s message comes as some on the Right have argued conservatives are making a cultural comeback, with Trump’s victory on Nov. 5 marking a national “vibe shift.”
His post sparked a debate on X, with at least one prominent Republican pushing back against the idea that there is “something wrong” with American culture.
“There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers,” said Nikki Haley, Trump’s ambassador to the U.N. during his first term in office.
Framing himself as the new leader of intellectual conservatism, Ramaswamy ran as a Republican presidential candidate during the 2024 election cycle before dropping out of the race and becoming a critical surrogate for Trump.
He is one of the anti-establishment political figures often touted by Trump allies as a Washington outsider who can break the country’s status quo.
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“With this crew of people with J.D. Vance, Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Vivek Ramaswamy, I think there’s a real chance that things can change,” Joe Rogan, one of the country’s most popular podcasters who endorsed Trump, said during a recent episode.
“We have a real chance to expose some of the deep-seated corruption, some of the problems that we’ve had in this country, and move us on to a better path,” he continued.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
