Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called out the Biden administration on Wednesday for honoring an individual on the Transgender Day of Remembrance who allegedly fired on officers and “actively” called “for killing cops.”
Ramaswamy appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime” to discuss the White House’s recent honoree for Transgender Day of Remembrance, who had allegedly written about his desire to kill police and start riots, according to Fox News.
“Georgia state troopers say after he didn’t comply with their demands, they used pepper spray. Tortuguita responded by firing four shots at them from a pistol, leaving a Georgia state trooper seriously injured. Officers were forced to return fire, and unfortunately, Tortuguita was pronounced dead,” Fox News host Jesse Watters said on Tuesday, during his investigation of the individual, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, reportedly also known as “Tortuguita.”
Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany sat in for Watters on Wednesday, and asked Ramaswamy for his thoughts on the issue. (RELATED: ‘There’s A Little Racism There’: Bill Maher Calls Out Donna Brazile For Mispronouncing Vivek Ramaswamy’s Name)
“Well, look, I think it’s embarrassing that they didn’t do some basic due diligence. They’re so beholden to identity politics in Transgender Remembrance Day that they actively took on somebody who is not only critical of cops but shooting at cops and actively calling for killing cops. I think that’s wrong,” Ramaswamy stated.
“And I think that the golden question Kaylee is — did they actually know? And just cast such a blind eye to it that they don’t care? Or was this a callous mistake? And so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. If it was a mistake, I’ll call on the Biden administration to do the right thing tomorrow”
“Let’s have a Remembrance Day for any police officer who’s been fired at, including a police officer who’s been fired by that individual. The fact that they’re transgender doesn’t change the fact that that behavior is wrong. And I think this identity politics is fundamentally a cancer on our country. It has created a cancer of national self-loathing. And the fact that you have a US president celebrating it is part of why we have this culture of national pride in the United States,” he added. (RELATED:High School Sues After Being Penalized For Refusing To Make Girls Basketball Team Compete Against Biological Male)
The White House released a statement for Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20 stating that there was “no place for hate in America,” grieving the lives of the 26 transgender community members.