FACT CHECK: Did Vivek Ramaswamy Call Juneteenth âUselessâ Two Months After Celebrating It?
A post shared on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, claims Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called Juneteenth a âuselessâ holiday two months after celebrating it.
Verdict: Unsubstantiated
A video shows that Ramaswamy called Juneteenth useless during a speech he gave in Vail, Iowa in August. An X post from June 19th shows Ramaswamy saying âwe celebrate how far we comeâ on Juneteenth. Ramaswamyâs campaign has disputed the phrasing of the language.
Fact Check:
Ramaswamy, the youngest GOP presidential candidate, wants voters aged 18 to 24 to pass a civics test in order to be able to vote, New York Post reported. He also wants to raise the voting age to 25 unless a citizen 18 or older is enrolled in the military, is a first responder or passes a civics test similar to those given to immigrants to obtain citizenship, according to Politico.
A post on X claims Ramaswamy has called Juneteenth a âuselessâ two months after making a post celebrating it. The tweet shared an article from NBC News covering the claim.
âVivek Ramaswamy says Juneteenth is a âuselessâ holiday - 2 months after posting a tweet celebrating it,â the post reads.
This claim has not been fully substantiated. The link to the NBC News article shared in the tweet shows that Ramaswamy referred to Juneteenth as âuselessâ during a recent campaign stop.
âWeâll make election day a holiday in the United States of America so thereâs no complaints about it. Cancel Juneteenth or one of the other useless ones we made up,â Ramswamy said. Ramswamy also confirmed to NBC News that he thought the holiday was âuseless.â
The post also claims Ramaswamy celebrated Juneteenth. This references a post from June 19 from the politician on X. The tweet reads, âJuneteenth is a new holiday so we still have a chance to define what it means to us. It neednât be about grievance & self-flogging. Let it be a celebration of the American Dream itself.â (RELATED: Did Vivek Ramaswamy Vote For The First Time In 2020)
A Ramaswamy spokesperson, in an email to Check Your Fact, disputed that Ramswamy celebrated Juneteenth in the June 19 tweet. The spokesperson pointed to Ramswamy saying that âwe just donât look back and flog ourselves, thatâs besides the pointâ as evidence that he didnât celebrate Juneteenth.
âThatâs the American dream I lived, thatâs the American dream we wanna give to the next generation. Thatâs what we celebrate on Juneteenth. We just donât look back and flog ourselves, thatâs besides the point. What we celebrate is how far weâve come. And as a first-generation American myself, you better believe Iâm proud of it. Happy Juneteenth everybody,â Ramswamy said in the video.
âHe is saying we need to reframe what Juneteenth is aboutâŚânot flog ourselvesâ and that we should ââcelebrate how far weâve come.â He is saying as is recognized today Juneteenth is pointless,â the spokesperson said.
Check Your Fact has reached out to NBC News for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.