Trump slams Vivek Ramaswamy in ALL CAPS telling Iowans not to 'waste' their vote on the entrepreneur who 'played it too cute'

Trump kept up his attacks on Ramaswamy as he implored supporters to turn out  Monday is decision day in Iowa, where the former president holds a huge lead He used Truth Social to say:  'A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE'

Former President Donald Trump kept up his attacks on tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday morning, as he tries to build the sort of win in Iowa that knocks his opponents out of the race.

Ramaswamy modeled his run on Trump’s MAGA message and had been careful to avoid criticizing the former president.

But their informal non-aggression pact broke down last week just ahead of Monday’s crucial Iowa caucuses.

‘A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE,’ said Trump on his Truth Social platform, in an all’caps post. I LIKE VIVEK, BUT HE PLAYED IT TOO “CUTE” WITH US.

‘CAUCUS TONIGHT, VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP, BUILD UP THE NUMBERS!!’

With hours to go before Iowa Republicans pick their 2024 candidate, Donald Trump launched another broadside against rival Vivek Ramaswamy as he implores his supporters to turn out

Donald Trump has been taking potshots at 2024 Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy since Saturday when the tech entrepreneur handed out ‘Save Trump, Vote Vivek’ T-shirts

Vivek had been generous in his praise of Trump for months. He at times positioned himself as Trump 2.0, using his can-do tech understanding to push through some of the policies that the former president failed to complete.

That changed Saturday when Ramaswamy’s campaign handed out out that sayT-shirts with the slogan ‘Save Trump, Vote Vivek.’

Ramaswamy posted a photo of them after an event in Rock Rapids, Iowa, which immediately attracted the ire of Trump and his top aides.

Senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita called Ramaswamy a ‘fraud.

He was quickly followed by Trump himself,  accusing him of ‘deceitful campaign tricks.’

‘A vote for Vivek is a vote for the “other side” — don’t get duped by this,’ Trump said on social media.

‘Vivek is not MAGA.’

The final Iowa caucus poll found Ramaswamy running at just eight percent, far behind Trump who is the first-choice pick of 48 percent of likely caucusgoers.

His campaign sees an opportunity to knock rivals out of the race if he can record a historically big victory, and relegate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to third place behind Nikki Haley.

Vivek Ramaswamy (center) has claimed he is ‘worried’ for Donald Trump after the former president accused him of ‘deceitful campaign tricks’ in a surprise attack

The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll was conducted Jan. 7-12 with 705 likely Republican caucus goers. Its margin of error is plus-minus 3.7 percentage points

However, insiders have also said they are worried that a mix of complacency from Trump’s huge lead and freezing weather could eat into size of victory.

They have promised to leave nothing to chance.

Against that backdrop, Ramamswamy offered them an easy target with his T-shirts and the chance to claw back a few percentage points from him.

For his part, the 38-year-old political novice shot back on social media after Saturday’s attack.

‘I’m worried for Trump. I’m worried for our country. I’ve stood up against the persecutions against Trump, and I’ve defended him at every step,’ he wrote.

In a lengthy statement on X, he  wrote: ‘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.

‘I’ve met tens of thousands of Iowans across 390+ events here, and they are deeply worried – and so am I – that this “system” won’t allow Donald J. Trump anywhere near the White House again.

‘It seems they will stop at *nothing* to keep him away from power.’

Trump, 77, took to Truth Social on Saturday to issue a scathing review of his fellow GOP candidate just 48 hours before the Iowa caucuses

Ramaswamy, who has expressed support for the former president in the past, took to X later that evening to express his shock at Trump’s post

He pointed to how he has always been a supporter of Trump and said: ‘I showed up at the Miami courthouse in solidarity following his first federal indictment.

‘I filed a FOIA demand to the Biden DOJ. I submitted an amicus brief this week with the U.S. Supreme Court calling on them to overturn Colorado’s ruling.

‘I pledged to remove myself from Maine’s & Colorado’s primary ballots if they remove Trump, calling on DeSantis and Haley to do the same.’

Ramaswamy went on to claim billionaires are funding lawsuits against Trump to ‘prop up Nikki Haley’.

He added: ‘They want to narrow this to a two-horse race between Trump & Haley, eliminate Trump (one way or other), & trot their puppet into the White House.

‘We can’t fall for that trap. 1 year from now, we won’t look back and say we were shocked that it happened. We’ll kick ourselves for not stopping it.

‘I want to save Trump & to save this country. Let’s do it together. You won’t hear any friendly fire from me.’

Donald Trump – seen here in a Manhattan court Thursday – took to Truth Social to issue a scathing assessment of GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy

The criticism was pointed, and saw the former president slam the only Republican who has expressed support for him in the past

Trump’s comments served as the first time he spoke poorly of Ramaswamy who has defended him in the face of his multiple criminal cases. 

If elected, Ramaswamy has promised to pardon him ‘on day one’, and at the first GOP debate, he proudly praised the 77-year-old as the ‘best president in generations’.

But Trump seemed unswayed by the 38-year-old Ohioan’s previous comments – and commenced a direct attack as he continues to garner some unexpected support in the Iowa polls among Republicans.

Even going as far to reference the August praise, Trump wrote: ‘Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc.

Ramaswamy has defended Trump in the face of his several criminal cases, promising to pardon him ‘on day one’ if elected. At the first GOP debate, he proudly praised the 77-year-old as the ‘best president in generations’

Trump’s comments came a few days after polls showed Trump remaining ahead in Iowa surveys, but is losing some ground to the famously inflammatory Ohioan

‘Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks,’ the aspiring two-term commander-in-chief added.

‘Very sly.’

While not specifying those alleged misdeeds, Trump proceeded to posit that Ramaswamy was ‘duping’ the American public, whom he went on to warn: ‘Don’t get duped by this,’ referring to the entrepreneur’s campaign.

‘Vote for “TRUMP,” don’t waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA,’ the post went on.

‘The Biden Indictments against his Political Opponent will never be allowed in this Country, they are already beginning to fall!

‘A vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’.