The U.S. is experiencing an anti-America movement that wishes to reject the ideals that this nation was founded on and it's important to talk openly regardless of the color of our skin, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Thursday on Newsmax following his on-air clash with CNN host Don Lemon about the Civil War.
Lemon and Ramaswamy engaged in a heated debate after CNN's Poppy Harlow asked the candidate about the speech he gave to the National Rifle Association, in which he said efforts were made to disarm freed Black people after the Civil War.
"The Democrat Party, then as in now, wanted to put them back in chains," he said.
Lemon said Ramaswamy was "making people think that the Civil War was fought for Black people — only for Black people to get guns," adding later: "It's reductive and I think it's insulting. There are a whole plethora of reasons for the Civil War."
Ramaswamy held his ground "to make sure that I came out ahead on that because it's important to fight for the ideals of this country itself, and I think that there is this anti-American strain now. It's not even the Democratic Party; it is an anti-American movement in this country that wishes to reject the ideals that this nation was founded on," Ramaswamy told Newsmax's "John Bachman Now."
"I'm in the pro-American movement; but I think that most of the country is still on our side, which is why I'm hopeful it's not a 50-50 split like between Democrats and Republicans. I think 80% of Americans or more believe in those basic ideals that this nation was founded on. The question is: Are we willing to be courageous enough and make the sacrifices to actually fight for those ideals? That is why last night I went to a college campus. That is why yesterday morning I went and debated Don Lemon. We need that courage to actually see that through for our country, and that's what I'm hoping to do."
Ramaswamy added that Americans "need to be able to talk openly again regardless of the color of our skin. I actually thought it was a good opportunity where I tried to teach Don Lemon some history that he didn't understand," he added.
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