REPORT: Vivek Was Set To Deliver SOTU Response But McConnell Tanked It

Few Republicans in recent years have been as eloquent and principled as former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. His ability to speak directly and honestly to the American people prompted many conservatives to suggest he should have been selected to offer the Republican response to Thursday’s State of the Union address.

How did the GOP not pick Vivek to give its rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union. pic.twitter.com/PUuhjZl7Dj

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 8, 2024

In fact, political commentator Laura Loomer said he was nominated to provide the post-speech rebuttal until Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) intervened.

SCOOP:

Source tells me that @VivekGRamaswamy was nominated to deliver the SOTU rebuttal address on behalf of the GOP, but Mitch McConnell killed it off and nominated @KatieBrittforAL instead.

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) March 8, 2024

While McConnell hasn’t acknowledged that report, it’s pretty clear that many viewers felt Britt’s response left something to be desired.

According to the Daily Beast:

The performance was so bad that some Republicans watched the high-profile speech with a grimace.

A GOP strategist told The Daily Beast that Britt’s delivery quickly became a gossip item Thursday night among operatives connected to Donald Trump—something that could have potential implications for her consideration as a vice presidential pick on the 2024 ticket.

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“Everyone’s fucking losing it,” this Republican said, requesting anonymity to discuss private conversations. “It’s one of our biggest disasters ever.”

“No one was surprised that [Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell’s handpicked senator resonated so poorly with the base,” said a source close to Trump, who requested anonymity for similar reasons. (Britt is a favorite of McConnell, which has made Trumpworld suspicious.)

Meanwhile, plenty of pundits and social media commenters said the GOP missed a glaring opportunity to put Ramaswamy front and center after President Joe Biden’s angry tirade.

He did get a chance to react to the speech in a different forum, though.

It is clear, after listening to Vivek, that the GOP Response to the state of the Union was the traditional George Bush GOP response. It was not Donald Trump's response, nor a response touting his policies.

It would have been nice if Ronna McDaniel had actually stepped down… https://t.co/DOtVtS0Sm4

— Tom Finnell (@d2fl) March 9, 2024

The “identity politics” wing of the GOP seemed pleased with the choice of a relatively young woman delivering the response instead of an older man; however, some Capitol Hill sources speculated that Britt was only chosen because more recognizable names didn’t want the job.

As Fox News reported prior to the State of the Union address:

“Katie Britt is the absolute best face the GOP could put forward,” said Republican strategist Doug Heye. According to him, she, “as a smart, well-spoken mom of two school-aged kids” is the best person to deliver the party’s vision.

Fellow Republican strategist John Feehery echoed this point, noting Britt is “smart, young, attractive,” and a contrast to “White males who usually speak on behalf of the party.”

But according to Democratic strategist Max Burns, the choice of Britt as the messenger of the GOP’s response was likely a result of “top-tier Republicans” turning the offer down. He pointed to the lack of progress on Republican priorities in Congress, claiming, “No senior Republican wants the impossible task of trying to sell that ineffectiveness to voters.”

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Ramaswamy gave his own assessment of the “state of the union” before Biden ever delivered his divisive speech: