Vivek Ramaswamy said the country has a mental health crisis in response to the tragedy in Jacksonville, Florida — seemingly diminishing statements made by authorities that the victims were targeted because of their race.
Three Black people were shot and killed by a 21-year-old white gunman at a Dollar General store on Saturday. During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Dana Bash asked the 2024 Republican presidential candidate about his reaction to the incident that sent shock waves throughout the country.
“This should not be happening in the United States of America, and it is wrong,” Ramaswamy said on Sunday, a day after the shooting. “The reality is, we have a mental health epidemic in this country. There are reports that this particular individual, the perpetrator, was indeed evaluated for mental health deficiencies as well.”
Jacksonville officials said the shooting was rooted in anti-Black racism. The AR-style rifle used by the gunman during the attack was painted with swastikas, and Sheriff T.K. Waters said he left manifestos that underscored a “disgusting ideology of hate.”
“The reality is we have created such a racialized culture in this country in the last several years that, right as the last few burning embers of racism were burning out, we have a culture in this country largely created by media and establishment and universities and politicians that throw kerosene on that racism,” Ramaswamy said.
His remarks on the program come after he compared Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Black woman and Democrat, to “modern grand wizards” of the Ku Klux Klan and likened white supremacy to a unicorn.
“I’ve never once encountered that yet. I’m sure the boogeyman White Supremacist exists somewhere in America. I’ve just never met him. Never seen one,” Ramaswamy said. “Maybe I’ll meet a unicorn sooner.”
During the interview, Bash pressed him about what he thinks “goes through the minds” of the families of the shooting victims when they hear the comments he made at an event in Iowa on Friday.
“I’m sure they’re grieving for their loss. And I don’t want to politicize those victims, Dana,” he said. “I was responding to a question where someone asked me, what racism have I experienced in recent years? And I answered honestly. Most of that racism has come from the modern left.”
Bash also asked if he thinks white supremacy still exists in this country.
“I acknowledge that all forms of racial animus exist in the United States, including fringe branches. I mean, that’s clearly what was at the head of this mentally deranged individual responsible for this shooting, yes,” he responded. “But I think there are many forms of mental derangement that cause us to see one another on the basis of our skin color and our attributes.”
