Is Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy a 9/11 Truther? The conspiracy website InfoWars is abuzz over the possibility, excitedly posting an article with an image of Ramaswamy alongside a picture of the burning World Trade Center towers.

The InfoWars headline read:

Vivek Ramaswamy Asked if 9/11 Inside Job: ‘I Don’t Believe Gov’t Has Told Us The Truth’

While the story began with this:

The United States government still hasn’t come clean about its involvement in the events of 9/11, says Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy.

InforWars concluded with this suggestion for Vivek Ramaswamy:

Certainly, it would benefit Ramaswamy and the American people if he actually delved deeper into the 9/11 terror attacks, perhaps starting with WTC Building 7, a 47-story skyscraper that also imploded into its own footprint on Sept. 11, 2001, despite sustaining no impact from an airplane.

So where did all this come from? Is Ramaswamy a closet 9/11 Truther who is now getting exposed? Absolutely not. But a Blaze TV interview launched that baloney.

Vivek Ramaswamy Interview on Blaze TV Started It All

Blaze TV’s Alex Stein, known for trolling and spreading conspiracies, interviewed Ramaswamy on Wednesday and asked him if the moon landing was real and if 9/11 was “an inside job.” Ramaswamy’s answer was, to be honest, pretty vague. I think he was broadsided by both those off-the-wall questions.

Was 9/11 an inside job?

I asked presidental candidate @VivekGRamaswamy what he thought

pic.twitter.com/eiPGxb5h0f

— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) August 2, 2023

However, Blaze TV shortened Ramaswamy’s reply in their written tweet:

I don’t believe the government has told us the truth. We have to be skeptical. Do I believe everything the government told us about it? Absolutely not.

So if anyone merely read the text and didn’t watch the video, it appears that Vivek Ramaswamy is wading in Truther conspiracies.

However, Zachery Henry, Ramaswamy’s Deputy Director of Communications, called out Blaze TV for doctoring the comments:

This is a doctored quote that leaves out a key line. Better for clicks, sure, but intellectually dishonest for @BlazeTV’s followers. Full quote: “I don’t believe the government has told us the truth. Again, I’m driven by evidence and data. What I’ve seen in the last several years is we have to be skeptical of what the government does tell us’ , but do I believe everything the government told us about it? Absolutely not. Do I believe the 9/11 Commission? Absolutely not.”

Later, Ramaswamy took to Twitter, er, “X,” in order to do some damage control, tweeting:

Do I believe our government has been completely forthright about 9/11? No. Al-Qaeda clearly planned and executed the attacks, but we have never fully addressed who knew what in the Saudi government about it. We *can* handle the TRUTH.

It didn’t matter, however. The media were off to the races to declare Vivek Ramaswamy a 9/11 conspiracy peddler.

Media Pile On

For example, Isaac Schorr at Mediate wrote an article entitled, “Vivek Ramaswamy Hedges on Whether 9/11 Was an Inside Job.” The first paragraph read:

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy refused to say whether he believed that the 9/11 terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 and injured thousands of more innocents on American soil were an inside job during an interview with The Blaze’s Alex Stein.

The Washington Examiner flogged the conspiracy scoop later on Wednesday night, claiming:

Vivek Ramaswamy says he doesn’t believe 9/11 Commission is telling truth about attack

But the harshest condemnation came from the Wall Street Journal editorial board. Accusing Ramaswamy of “diving into swamp land,” the WSJ questioned where he seeks evidence:

Oh, man. What “evidence and data” is he talking about? An Alex Jones broadcast?

The WSJ continued:

But his original answer flirted with the possibility that the government covered up facts about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Back on planet Earth, the 9/11 Commission was one of the better efforts at government accountability in recent memory, and its findings have never been discredited by anyone credible. One irony of Mr. Ramaswamy’s answer is that conspiracy theories about 9/11 started mostly in left-wing precincts.

Except Vivek Ramaswamy isn’t an Infowars acolyte. And while the WSJ editorial board may claim that no, there’s nothing more to see about 9/11, move along, Ramaswamy has fair concerns about connections between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Such questions are indeed appropriate.

“World Trade Center 9/11/01 attack memorial photo” by cattias.photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Vivek Ramaswamy Explains It All

On Wednesday evening, Ramaswamy appeared on Fox News’ “Special Report” with Bret Baier. He asked him about the Blaze TV interview and allowed Ramaswamy to explain.

Baier bluntly asked Ramaswamy if he thought 9/11 was an inside job, to which he replied, “I don’t.” Baier then confirmed that Ramaswamy’s questions were about the role of the Saudi government at the time, which led into a discussion of whether or not asking such questions of the Saudis is good for foreign policy. (Which, in my opinion, also shows that Bret Baier is the best interviewer of any news station.)

Ramaswamy replied that his approach is to demand the truth of the government overall. “That is a top issue right now,” he told Baier.

Vivek Ramaswamy didn’t stop with the role of the Saudis in 9/11, either. He was also in Nashville on Wednesday, demanding that TN Gov. Bill Lee release the manifesto of Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, who shot to death three children and three adults on March 28. Ramaswamy tweeted:

We *can* handle the TRUTH. I’m in Nashville today to demand that the Governor, the Nashville Police and the FBI: release the trans shooter’s manifesto. Be honest with the public – not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. We must understand the root cause of the motive & mental health epidemic. The path to truth runs through transparency.

Vivek Ramaswamy is not my preferred presidential candidate for 2024. I don’t agree with everything he says. However, this young man is certainly impressive — he is not governed by party policy nor manipulated by party wonks. His level of accomplishment in business is astounding, and in my opinion is the smartest candidate in the race. Ramaswamy won’t get the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but he has an incredibly bright future in politics, should he choose to remain a player.

But I would give him one piece of advice: Never, ever, go on Blaze TV again. Especially if that schmuck Alex Stein wants another interview.

Featured image: Photoshop by Brand X Studio/used by permission.