Vivek Ramaswamy launches patriotism scholarship for students
Mabinty Quarshie
Video Embed
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy launched a scholarship program on Wednesday that aims to “foster national pride” among young people amid declining patriotism.
Ramaswamy, a long-shot 2024 hopeful, is committing $250,000 in scholarship funding to revive patriotism. The scholarship will go to 10 high school students, who will each receive $25,000 this year.
HOW THE SUPREME COURT COULD NEXT REIN IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Scholarship entrance requires students to submit a two-minute video answering the question of what it means to be an American. A panel will select the awardees, who will be allowed to use the scholarship for post-secondary education, entrepreneurial endeavors, or military and law enforcement enrollment.
As a millennial presidential candidate, Ramaswamy has often championed encouraging younger people to find value in a patriot ideology.
“One of the things I think we should require is that every high school senior who graduates from high school should be required to pass the same civics test required of every immigrant who becomes a naturalized citizen in this country,” he said one day before the July 4 celebrations during a Fox News interview.
In that same interview, he called for the abolishment of the Department of Education as a factor in reviving national pride.
“It’s just that I’m running for U.S. president. I’ll tell you what the U.S. president can do that’s most effective: shut down the Department of Education that uses that money as a cudgel to get local school districts to adopt toxic and racial agendas,” he said.
There is some data that support Ramaswamy’s declarations of low national pride. A recent survey from Gallup showed that 38% of adults said they were “extremely proud” to be American, the lowest point in Gallup’s trend, which began in 2001. Among those ages 18-35, only 25% said they were “extremely proud” to be American, while 51% of people age 55 and up said they were “extremely proud.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Ramaswamy faces a tough battle to become the GOP’s next standard-bearer as he polls in the low single digits in national surveys. A RealClearPolitics polling average shows him receiving 2.4% of Republican primary voter support.
The scholarship funds will be administered by the nonprofit Incubate Debate.