Ramaswamy fires back at Mexican president in border spat: 'New daddy in town'

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FIRST ON FOX — Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on his forceful policies regarding the southern border after the Mexican president urged American voters not to support him in the 2024 election. 

Ramaswamy has been vocal about wanting to send the military to the border in order to crack down on the surge of migrants coming into the U.S. and go after the drug cartels.  

During a press conference earlier this week, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lashed out at the 38-year-old political outsider after he was asked by a reporter about the candidate's so-called "threat" to the country.

"That candidate from the Republican Party who says he is going to invade Mexico, no American of Mexican origin should vote for him," Obrador said, "because he who does not love his homeland does not love his mother."

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Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador discouraged Mexican-Americans from voting for GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy in the 2024 presidential election. (REUTERS/Raquel Cunha)

In a statement first made to Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy knocked Obrador — suggesting the drug cartels are his "sugar daddy" and insisting that things will change if the GOP hopeful makes it to the White House.

"It’s not just illegal migrants, human trafficking, and fentanyl pouring through our Swiss cheese, open border anymore," Ramaswamy said. "Now, we have armed cartel gunmen directly invading our homeland."

"The U.S. military has one job: to protect American citizens on our own soil. The cartels may be AMLO’s sugar daddy now, but soon there will be a new daddy in town. As President, I will call Mexico's president in January 2025 to deliver a clear message that we will support you in decimating the cartels. Military force is both legally and morally justified. Time to end the crisis," he added. 

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Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is calling for use of the military at the southern border. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

At Wednesday's second GOP debate, Ramaswamy reiterated his tough border stance, suggesting the drug cartels are guilty of "bioterrorism" for the fentanyl deaths that occur in the U.S. 

"We have to seal that southern border. Building the wall is not enough. They're building cartel-financed tunnels," Ramaswamy said. "We have to use our own military to seal the Swiss cheese of a southern border."

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The border continues to be a top issue for GOP voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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According to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, Ramaswamy is placing fourth in the GOP field with 5.3%, narrowly behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley with 5.8%. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was center stage at Wednesday's debate, averaging 14% in national polls while former President Trump continues to maintain a commanding lead over his Republican challengers, averaging a whopping 57%. However, Trump's averages in early primary contests like in Iowa and New Hampshire are currently below 50%, giving a potential roadmap for his rivals to overtake him as the campaign unfolds. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.