Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy went viral on social media for his response to a reporter’s question asking him if he condemns “White supremacy and White nationalism.”

“Of course I condemn any form of vicious racial discrimination in this country. But I think that the presumption of your question is fundamentally based on a falsehood that really is the main form of racial discrimination we see in this country today,” Ramswamy told a reporter from The Washington Post on the campaign trail in Iowa on Wednesday.

“Institutionalized racism is institutionalized racial discrimination that we see that doesn’t come from somehow discriminating against people on the basis of some tentative White supremacy,” Ramaswamy continued. “It’s based on affirmative action. It’s based on actually discriminating against people on the color of their skin in a way that’s actually institutionalized today.”

Ramaswamy said that “questions and framings like that” are what have “caused the American people to lose all trust in the mainstream media.”

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The Washington Post reporter pushed back at Ramaswamy, “You didn’t say you condemn White supremacy.”

 “I’m not, I’m not gonna recite some catechism for you,” Ramaswamy fired back.

“I’m not pledging allegiance to your new religion of modern wokeism,” he continued. “I’m not going to bend the knee to your religion. I’m sorry. I’m not asking you to bend the knee to mine, and I’m not going to bend the knee to yours. But do I condemn vicious racial discrimination? Yes, I do. Am I going to play your silly game of gotcha? No, I’m not.”

Ramaswamy told the reporter he “already knows” how her “game” works and predicted she will post a headline that says, “Vivek Ramaswamy refuses to condemn White supremacy.”

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“Because you asked a stupid question,” Ramaswamy said. “The reality is I condemned vicious racial discrimination in this country, but the kind of racial systemic discrimination we see today is the discrimination based on race in a very different direction. You want to know what the best way is to end discrimination on the basis of race? Stop discriminating on the basis of race.” 

“You people have been responsible for bringing this country to a breaking point, creating a projection of national division,” Ramaswamy continued. “I meet people from the South Side of Chicago to a meeting like this one of every shade of melanin, multiple from men to women, doesn’t make a difference, who are hungry for reviving unity in this country, and you with this catechism that you try and get these politicians to whatever fake headline you’re going to put on the basis of this conversation tomorrow, that’s what’s dividing this country to a breaking point.”

“Shame on you. Look people in the eye and tell them what you’ve actually failed to tell them for the last five years. Own the accountability for your own failures as the media,” he continued. “That’s how we rebuild trust in this country and until then I don’t have a lot of patience to play the games.”

Ramaswamy received applause from the crowd after he finished his answer. 

Ramaswamy’s response to the question quickly went viral on social media, with conservatives praising the way the 38-year-old entrepreneur handled the exchange.

“This man is incredible,” sports and political commentator Jason Whitlock posted on X. “Wow.”

“Absolutely magnificent,” author and political commentator Ann Coulter posted on X. “Every GOP should memorize this answer.”

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“Vivek gets it,” Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk wrote on X. “Leveling up in real time. Based.”

“Good for @VivekGRamaswamy who gives brilliant response to stupid question from biased & unprofessional WAPO reporter,” former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee posted on X. 

The question from the reporter came in response to former Iowa GOP Congressman Steve King’s endorsement of Ramaswamy. King made headlines in 2019 when he was stripped of his committee assignments by fellow Republicans in Congress after controversial comments regarding White supremacy. 

Ramaswamy addressed the interaction in a post on X. 

“After Steve King announced he was endorsing me, predictably a lame reporter from @WAPO tried to get me to play the game of ‘denouncing white supremacy,’” Ramaswamy wrote. “While she refused to actually define ‘white supremacy’ which in recent years encompasses concepts like ‘punctuality” & ‘the written word.’ I refused to play along with her game.”

In another post, Ramaswamy wrote that the question was the “stupidest question I’ve gotten yet from the media.”

“And that says a lot,” he added.