Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took a jab at former DNC chair Donna Brazile after she repeatedly mispronounced his name and didn’t seem to care that she did.
The entrepreneur and 2024 GOP hopeful took to social media to respond to the insults on Sunday, adding to his comment a clip of Brazile mocking the pronunciation of his name while on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
Brazile was a guest along with former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger who also did not say Ramaswamy’s name correctly, getting called on it by host Bill Maher.
“I wonder what they’d do if a white Republican intentionally mispronounced Donna’s name & then told her to return ‘home,’” Ramaswamy wrote on X, including the clip from the episode in which Brazile said the 38-year-old biotechnology entrepreneur needs to “just shut the hell up and go home.”
I wonder what they’d do if a white Republican intentionally mispronounced Donna’s name & then told her to return “home.” https://t.co/UIfiSCU6p6
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 19, 2023
Brazile dismissed Maher’s correction when he noted she did not pronounce the GOP hopeful’s name right during the show’s overtime segment.
“It’s Vivek,” Maher said after her remarks.
“Well, whatever,” the ABC News contributor said with a snark.
“Whatever? Would you say that about other ethni—” Maher said before Brazile interjected, “Is it Vivek Ramaswama? Ramaswamy?”
Maher continued to explain how to pronounce the name as the audience laughed along.
“Thank you so much,” Brazile snickered. “I learn so much for coming on this show.”
“I just feel like there’s something wrong with everybody refusing to learn to say his name,” Maher responded.
“I just feel there’s a little racism there,” he added, prompting Brazile to reply, “no racism.”
Even Kinzinger got into the name game as Maher attempted to get the segment moving past the topic, saying, “Vivek, Vivek, I’ll say it,” as the audience laughed.
“I know we don’t like him but, you know, just say his name right,” Maher finally told his guests and audience. “I could be wrong. Maybe it’s not. I heard him do a rap and he said it rhymes with cake. This is what the CNN audience needs to know.”
Ramaswamy’s communications director and senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin responded to the perceived “racism” in Brazile’s remarks.
“Reverse racism is racism. If that were a white Republican they would be fired and torn to shreds on cable TV. Donna will probably get an ‘atta boy’ from her colleagues. Gross,” she told the Daily Mail.
Brazile’s disrespect and Ramaswamy’s response drew plenty of reactions on social media.
This is the true face of left-wing elitism, casually racist while pretending to champion diversity. Pathetic display of double standards.
— Frank (@FrankChronicles) November 19, 2023
Donna Brazil telling you who she is, and who her party is.
Believe her. She is the villain she claims to be.
— Outcome Thinking (@outcomethinking) November 19, 2023
It was racist if you mentioned Obama’s middle name.
It was racist if you pronounced “Kamala” incorrectly.
It was even racist if you didn’t like “The Squad.”
But if Donna Brazile, who is already known as a morally reprehensible person, intentionally pronounces Vivek…
— Zeek Arkham (@ZeekArkham) November 19, 2023
This is what’s wrong with America — leftists get away with murder because they’re never held accountable.
That’s why disgraces like @donnabrazile can spout racist nonsense against a minority and face zero consequences.
It’s disgusting.
— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) November 19, 2023
This is what’s wrong with America — leftists get away with murder because they’re never held accountable.
That’s why disgraces like @donnabrazile can spout racist nonsense against a minority and face zero consequences.
It’s disgusting.
— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) November 19, 2023
Vivek – born in America, educated in America.
Donna couldn’t carry his intellectual lunch box https://t.co/IJ4kh8Sw15
— Sonoran Stoic (@SonoranStoic) November 19, 2023
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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