GOP Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Calls Zelensky a ‘Nazi’ – Then Eats His Words

Businessman and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy faced controversy during a recent Republican debate when he appeared to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “Nazi.”

Ramaswamy criticized Ukraine as undemocratic and suggested that it did not deserve US aid. However, his campaign later clarified that he misspoke and was referring to an incident in Canada where lawmakers applauded a 98-year-old former Waffen-SS Galicia Division fighter after a speech by Zelensky.

Ramaswamy’s spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, explained that she stumbled over his words while trying to address the controversial moment in Canada.

The incident in September involved the invitation of Jaroslav Hunka, a former soldier of the Galician Waffen-SS Division, to a speech by Zelensky in the Canadian Parliament. Hunka’s presence sparked controversy and led to the resignation of the then Speaker of the House of Commons, Anthony Rota, who acknowledged his mistake in recognizing the former soldier.

While Ramaswamy’s spokesman insisted he was not calling Zelensky a Nazi but referring to the Canadian incident, critics argued his comments played a role in Russian propaganda.

Russia has falsely labeled the Ukrainian government and its leaders as Nazis, using the term “denazification” to justify its invasion of Ukraine.

Retired Navy admiral James Stavridis criticized Ramaswamy for repeating “offensive Kremlin talking points,” and Garry Kasparov, the Russian chess champion and human rights activist, suggested Ramaswamy might be a “Ukrainian secret agent” mocking the pro-Putin MAGA propagandists.

Former Trump White House official Alyssa Farah Griffin condemned the comments as offensive and accused Ramaswamy of contributing to the rise of global anti-Semitism.