Steve King Comeback Stirs Controversy in Alliance: Des Moines, Iowa Steve King, the former Republican Iowa congressman, made a political comeback this week, hitting the campaign trail with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in Alabama. Though King hasn’t officially endorsed Ramaswamy, he expressed plans to caucus for the Ohio businessman, earning a warm reception from Ramaswamy, who welcomed King on his campaign bus.
King, a congressional veteran of 18 years, faced defeat in the 2020 GOP primary for defending terms like “white nationalism” and “white supremacy” in a 2019 interview with the New York Times, drawing bipartisan condemnation. King questioned, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization how did that language become offensive?”
Known for controversial statements about Mexican immigrants and support for far-right European politicians, King spoke openly in a 2017 interview about his vision for a more homogeneous America, earning praise from KKK leaders and neo-Nazi groups.
The duo frequently campaigns against using eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines in Iowa, a key issue for Ramaswamy’s statewide tour. While defending King amid media scrutiny, Ramaswamy called him a “good man” who cares deeply about the country, asserting that King’s comments have been “misunderstood and misportrayed.”
When confronted by an Iowa voter labeling King a white supremacist, Ramaswamy rejected the notion, stating his recent acquaintance with King and emphasizing shared views on eminent domain.
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Ramaswamy’s alliance with King highlights his inclination toward conspiracy theories and far-right sentiments, evident in the recent GOP primary debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ramaswamy propagated unfounded claims, including calling the Jan. 6 Capitol attack “an inside job,” a narrative refuted by the House select committee and prosecutions of defendants.
Ramaswamy insisted the 2020 election was “stolen by big tech,” despite lacking evidence. He also falsely linked the Democratic Party’s platform to the “great replacement theory,” a baseless claim about deliberate demographic shifts. At a town hall, Ramaswamy reiterated his Jan. 6 rhetoric, deflecting fact-checks and promoting a conspiracy involving Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer without evidence.