Trump slams Iowa Caucus choice of Ramaswamy as ‘Pointless’

Former President Donald Trump on Monday described a vote for GOP challenger Vivek Ramaswamy as “wasted” ahead of Iowa caucuses — saying the conservative entrepreneur “played it too ‘cute’ with us.”

The all-cap attack on Trump’s Truth Social platform was the first tirade aimed at a candidate who once had Trump’s admiration.

That’s abruptly changed recently, including a tirade on Saturday when Trump accused Ramaswamy of using “deceitful campaign tricks.”

“A vote for Vivek is a wasted vote,” Trump railed in the all-cap rant Monday, ahead of the Iowa caucuses. “I like Vivek, but he played it too ‘cut’ with us.”

“Caucus tonight, vote for Donald J. Trump, build up the numbers!!! In November, we must take our very troubled nation — a nation in decline — back from crooked Joe Biden and the radical left Democrats and thugs who are destroying it.”

There was no immediate response from Ramaswamy.

Before the rift, however, Ramaswamy defended the ex-president and even urged voters to remove themselves from Colorado’s ballot after the state’s Supreme Court bumped Trump from the ticket, citing the 14th amendment.

Trump, on the other hand, blasted Ramaswamy as “not MAGA” and a “fraud,” in a post Friday.

“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks. Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’ — don’t get duped by this.”

Ramaswamy responded on X, emphasizing his past support for Trump and saying he wouldn’t trade barbs with him — noting he “stood up against the persecutions against Trump” and “defended him at every step.”

“Yes, I saw President Trump’s Truth Social post. It’s an unfortunate move by his campaign advisors, I don’t think friendly fire is helpful. Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, and I’m not going to criticize him in response to this late attack,” Ramaswamy wrote.

GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis also weighed in on Trump’s bashing of Ramaswamy, telling reporters Trump threw him “under the bus.”

“You know, it’s like, I’ve never seen a candidate run for an office and basically campaign for another candidate in the same race before and that’s what’s happened. But the minute he wasn’t useful, they, they dropped the hammer on it. So that’s just kind of the way — way they are,” DeSantis said in a video clip, referring to Trump’s criticism of Ramaswamy that was posted on X.