Vivek Ramaswamy said it was ridiculous to claim he wanted to get into the Knicks locker room under the guise of welcoming him to Ohio and then maybe campaigning for his gubernatorial election — and then he refused. Ramaswamy also highlighted the bigger picture that he is being targeted by the dirty politics of Democrats in Ohio and said this is why “sensible” people rarely go into politics.
what happened here
Ramaswamy and his wife attended Game 4 of the NBA playoffs in Cleveland, sitting courtside as the Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks. The Rooster, an online provocateur in Ohio politics, posted on his Substack that after the game Ramaswamy tried to get into the Knicks locker room under the guise of welcoming them to Ohio and using his position as the GOP nominee for governor.Then the alleged story of Ramaswamy’s insult spread like wildfire and attracted a lot of comment.Ramaswami claimed that it was all fake and a figment of the imagination of a leftist blogger suffering from mental health problems. In a lengthy statement, he explained that he initially did not want to respond to the story because it was too silly. But he had to respond to show how poisonous politics is.“I’m a Cavs fan. Always love going to their games, I’ve been going for decades. My wife and I bought courtside tickets for Game 4 against the Knicks, and our team got blown out. It was brutal. We both watched the game, hand-in-hand, in disbelief and despair during the second half, then scurried straight to our car after the buzzer (with state-provided security the entire time),” he said.Ramaswamy said he apparently didn’t wait to see the Knicks celebrate because a sharp poke in the eye would have been more enjoyable.“No, we didn’t stick around to watch the Knicks celebrate their fun. There’s really no amount of money on Earth you could pay me to sit with them and watch them take the Eastern Conference trophy, let alone watch them parade off the court to the locker room. A sharp poke in the eye would have been more pleasant,” he said.“But then, a leftist Ohio blogger struggling with mental health issues published that not only did I wait until after the ceremony, but after the game I wandered around and tried to enter the Knicks’ locker room, and told them I wanted to “welcome” them to Ohio. This is crazy! He also published other vivid accounts. They were also 100% crazy,” he said.
The big picture is this…
Ramaswami said Ohio Democrats shared the fictitious story and then news platforms started reporting it. “To be clear the whole thing is stupid. But it’s nasty, it happens over and over again, and it’s better for the public to know about it. This is why sane people rarely go into politics. Anyone who does should probably get their own mind checked (including me). My team wisely told me not to dignify it by commenting on it. Politically, they are probably right. But if every leader follows that advice, it gives bad actors an incentive to lie not only about me, but about others in the future. “Call me an idealist, but I don’t think things should work this way,” Ramaswamy said.