WASHINGTON — Vivek Ramaswamy, the Ohio Republican candidate for governor, recently reassessed his previous endorsement of foreign worker visas during a new episode of “Pod Force One,” which aired Wednesday. He described the debate as “insignificant compared to the more serious issues in our education system that we need to tackle.”
As he spoke to Miranda Devine from The Post, Ramaswamy asserted, “I’m willing to initiate tough discussions,” referencing the significant MAGA backlash he ignited in December 2024 regarding his initial support for the H-1B visa program, which permits skilled foreign professionals to work in the U.S. under company sponsorship.
Following former President Trump’s election, Ramaswamy, who served as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency, criticized the cultural trend in America, claiming that “we’ve celebrated mediocrity over excellence for far too long.” He contrasted societal admiration for popularity, such as “the prom queen over the math champion,” and “the jock over the valedictorian.”
He argued that this mindset has allowed nations like China to keep their best engineers while the U.S. falls behind in talent acquisition.
At that time, fellow DOGE co-chair Elon Musk also supported the H-1B visa program.
Last week, President Trump announced that a new fee of $100,000 would be imposed on employers for each new H-1B application moving forward.
In his remarks during the “Pod Force One” episode, Ramaswamy skillfully diverted attention away from the H-1B debate, noting, “a significant portion of our crisis lies in the shortcomings of our education system.”
He elaborated, “This represents a moral failing. For us to excel in emerging industries, I envision an economy where individuals raised in Ohio can reach their fullest potential, becoming the workforce powered by a modern economy.”
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Moreover, Ramaswamy remarked that Americans are not taking necessary steps to enhance educational standards.
He noted, “There’s strong agreement on the right about the left’s disregard for excellence and its preference for division based on race, gender, and identity,” referencing his 2021 book, “Woke Inc.,” which tackled these issues.
“I called attention to this because it poses a significant threat to American greatness,” he stated.
Currently leading the GOP race for Ohio governor, Ramaswamy believes the U.S. should implement “curricular enhancements” to counter the long-standing decline in education quality, including the possibility of adopting Singapore’s math standards.
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“Their standards are significantly better compared to what we teach in most public schools here,” he asserted, stressing that “fundamentally, this starts with family involvement. It’s not about expecting the government to resolve all issues.”
The educational model used by Singapore focuses on engaging students with concrete objects and visual aids before introducing abstract concepts, a system that reformed their public education in the 1980s.
“If we incorporate Singapore math into our system, we do see improvements in academic performance, but it won’t reach the full potential seen in Singapore due to the lack of a family-centric educational ethos here,” he clarified.
“I envision an educational initiative akin to a modern Apollo mission,” he proclaimed. “Elevating educational standards could very well be our generation’s major challenge.”
“If we look forward 20 years and find ourselves still four years behind China and five behind Singapore, that signals the demise of American exceptionalism unless we steer this ship around,” Ramaswamy cautioned.
Leading the Republican primary race in Ohio by a substantial margin, Ramaswamy finds himself as the frontrunner, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
