Ramaswamy says he embraces the media heat ahead of first GOP debate: 'It makes me stronger as a candidate'

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has not only been surging in the polls in recent weeks, he has been under intense scrutiny by the media, something he says he's embracing. 

The knives are being pointed in Ramaswamy's direction from his on-air battle on CNN, his clash with The Atlantic, even unflattering stories being published in conservative media.

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During a pre-debate interview with Fox News Digital at the site of the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee, he offered advice to other candidates like himself: "If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen."

"If you're not willing to talk to hostile media means you're probably not ready to sit across the table from Xi Jinping," Ramaswamy said Tuesday. 

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The 38-year-old political outsider made a not-so-subtle dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who referred to his previous ban of NBC News made in February after MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell mischaracterized his state's education curriculum (DeSantis has since lifted that ban, granting an interview with NBC News earlier this month). 

Ramaswamy chalked up DeSantis' refusing to appear on NBC News because the network "isn't nice" to him.

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"My view is that that might be fine if you want to be a governor of a little kingdom in one of the 50 states of the Union but if you actually want to be a president for all Americans and lead this country to national revival, you better darn well be able to face off against the people who actually confront you with different points of view. So I relish that," Ramaswamy said. 

He added, "It actually gives me a sense of energy because I think that makes our country stronger. It makes me stronger as a candidate and as a leader. And so I think it's a good thing. That's the process working as it's supposed to."

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Ramaswamy has been making headlines over comments he made in an interview with The Atlantic. While discussing the January 6 riot, he linked the congressional investigation into the Capitol attack to the 9/11 Commission. 

"I think it is legitimate to say, How many police, how many federal agents were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers? Like, I think we want—maybe the answer is zero, probably is zero for all I know, right? I have no reason to think it was anything other than zero. But if we’re doing a comprehensive assessment of what happened on 9/11, we have a 9/11 commission, absolutely that should be an answer the public knows the answer to," Ramaswamy said to the magazine. 

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That led to a contentious exchange between Ramaswamy and CNN's Kaitlan Collins, who grilled him on multiple topics including the 9/11 comments. He claimed the quote was "wrong" and out of context, stressing that the information he believed was being withheld by the government regarding 9/11 was Saudi Arabia's culpability. 

The Atlantic then released the audio clip and transcript of Ramaswamy's comments, showing the quote was accurate. He told Fox News' Martha MacCallum he does not actually believe there were federal agents on the planes that hit the Twin Towers and that al-Qaeda terrorists, "with the aid of the Saudi government" were responsible.

Ramaswamy was grilled by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt about his position of only protecting Taiwan from China until 2028 when under his administration the US will have "semiconductor independence." 

There have also been several reports outlining what critics say are his flip-flops and inconsistencies that range from his attitude toward former President Trump skipping the debate to his stance on giving foreign aid to Israel.

Ramaswamy is one of eight GOP hopefuls who will be on the debate stage Wednesday night. Tune in for the first Republican presidential debate on Fox News Channel at 9 p.m. ET moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

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