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AgenciesDonald Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy The Ohio governor’s race, still a year away, has already become a mirror of the Republican Party’s deeper ideological struggle. Vivek Ramaswamy, a once-celebrated figure in the MAGA orbit, now finds himself under fire from many in the MAGA base who had once hailed his unapologetic nationalism. The trigger is a combination of electoral setbacks for the GOP, an outlier poll showing Democrat Amy Acton narrowly ahead in Ohio, and Ramaswamy’s blunt message that Republicans must “end identity politics.” The episode underscores a widening rift within the conservative movement between Trump’s pragmatic coalition-building and a faction of MAGA radicals increasingly voicing racist sentiment.The poll that sparked a stormThe recent survey suggesting Amy Acton leads Ramaswamy in Ohio was, by all accounts, an outlier. Most other polls continue to place him ahead, bolstered by strong endorsements and a disciplined statewide operation. Yet this one snapshot, conducted among teachers, social workers, and university staff, was enough to ignite a storm on the right. MAGA activists took to social media demanding Ramaswamy’s replacement as the GOP front-runner, seizing the moment to voice frustration over broader Republican losses in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia.These electoral defeats provided fertile ground for intraparty recriminations. Ramaswamy’s postmortem, which focused on affordability and rejecting identity-based appeals, was meant as sober analysis. But his declaration, “End identity politics,” was received as heresy in the MAGA discourse that have long relied on cultural grievance as a mobilising force.MAGA's grievance against VivekRamaswamy’s relationship with the MAGA base has always been complicated. A second-generation Indian American and practising Hindu, he built his political identity on a promise to defend traditional American values and dismantle “woke” ideology. Yet his very identity, one that he seldom foregrounded, has become a target amid resurgent religious and xenophobic undercurrents within the movement.Live EventsThe backlash intensified after Senator JD Vance’s comments about wishing his wife would convert to Christianity stirred a public debate about faith, belonging, and the boundaries of “American” identity. What began as an offhand remark turned into a broader cultural dispute, with some MAGA voices implicitly questioning Ramaswamy’s place in a movement increasingly framed in Christian nationalist terms.By the time Halloween photos of Ramaswamy’s family went viral, MAGA social media was already primed for outrage. The convergence of cultural resentment, religious tribalism and electoral disappointment created an atmosphere ripe for hostility which led to an organized online campaign against him.Ramaswamy’s critics have framed their opposition not only around religion but around a broader narrative of cultural authenticity. Tech entrepreneur James Fishback, speaking at Boston University’s College Republicans recently, mocked the idea that Americans should “learn from Indian literacy or Chinese math.” His remarks, a barely veiled swipe at Ramaswamy, aptured a paradox of the post-Trump right wing movement. This movement champions meritocracy and free enterprise, yet now resents the globalised success stories those ideals once celebrated.Fishback’s rhetoric also taps into the newer anti-immigration strain among conservative elites, particularly targeting the H-1B visa program. Ramaswamy, who had defended the programme by criticising American complacency in STEM fields last year, inadvertently gave ammunition to those eager to paint him as out of touch with “real Americans". Vivek's critique of American mediocrity was seen by his detractors as a lecture from an outsider.By backing Vivek, Trump is trying to save GOP's futureTrump’s emphatic endorsement of Ramaswamy for next year's Ohio governor's election comes at the height of MAGA backlash and the timing is telling. Calling Ramaswamy “Young, Strong, and Smart” and “something SPECIAL,” Trump yesterday reminded his base that the path to continued Republican dominance runs not through ideological purity but through coalition-building.Trump’s own 2024 victory depended heavily on a broadened GOP electorate which included unprecedented numbers of Latino, Black and Indian American voters. That success rested on economic populism and nationalist rhetoric, but also on a message that transcended racial and religious lines. By reaffirming support for Ramaswamy, Trump is sending a message to the party that alienating capable, diverse voices in the name of identity politics would be political suicide. Despite the odd outlier poll, Ramaswamy leads in ratings. GOP might lose the state if Ramaswamy is replaced. For the GOP, the lesson is existential. A party that won the White House in 2024 by expanding its tent now risks shrinking it again under the weight of its own exclusionary impulses. Trump’s strategic embrace of Ramaswamy may therefore be less about personal affinity and more about preserving the political coalition that brought him back to power.But the question remains: can Trump's endorsement save Ramaswamy from MAGA backlash and unite Republicans in Ohio? The Ohio governor’s race next year will be more than a local contest. It will be an early test of whether Republicans can manage internal diversity without succumbing to division. MAGA response to Trump’s willingness to defend Ramaswamy will indicate whether the GOP can evolve beyond identity-based infighting and maintain the multiracial, multiethnic coalition that led to its national revival.If the MAGA backlash against Ramaswamy continues unchecked, the party risks not only losing a winnable governorship but also unravelling the wide coalition that helped Trump win in 2024.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) Read More News onTrump endorses Vivek RamaswamyMAGA backlash against RamaswamyOhio governor race 2024electoral strategy in OhioRepublican Party internal strugglemagadonald trumpVivek Ramaswamy (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) 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