Entrepreneur and 2024 Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced on Wednesday that he would be committing $250,000 in scholarship funds to revive patriotism among younger Americans.
Ramaswamy, who has placed third in one recent presidential poll, launched the scholarship initiative as civic pride continues to decline, military recruitment plummets and fewer people say they are proud to be Americans.
“In honor of our son’s 1st birthday today, Apoorva & I are committing $250,000 to fund a new scholarship to foster national pride among young Americans. Only 16% of Gen Z says they’re proud to be American. 60% of teens on TikTok would rather give up their right to vote than their social media account. Our military suffered a 25% recruitment deficit last year. This bodes poorly for our nation,” Ramaswamy announced on Twitter.
In honor of our son's 1st birthday today, Apoorva & I are committing $250,000 to fund a new scholarship to foster national pride among young Americans. Only 16% of Gen Z says they're proud to be American. 60% of teens on TikTok would rather give up their right to vote than their… pic.twitter.com/HHtG5tvPp3
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) July 5, 2023
Ten high school students will receive a $25,000 scholarship, which they can apply for by explaining what it means to be an American in a two-minute video that will be evaluated by a panel of judges. The money can go toward postsecondary education, a business enterprise, or those who plan on serving in law enforcement or the military.
According to Ramaswamy, the scholarship program will be administered by Incubate Debate, a non-profit organization that encourages free speech and students to engage in respectful debates.
“As an entrepreneur, I believe in solving problems through private behavior whenever possible. That’s why we are funding a new scholarship to revive patriotism,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Actions speak louder than words & I believe in putting our money where our mouth is.”
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While older people are more likely to be patriotic, those in younger generations have increasingly voiced skepticism of America, a pattern that is even more distinct along partisan lines.
According to a recent poll from Gallup, just 42% of Republicans aged 18-34 are extremely proud of their country while only 12% of Democrats aged 18-34 are proud to be Americans.
Ramaswamy, the co-founder of Strive Asset Management, jumped to third behind former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a recent poll from Echelon Insights, earning 10% of support among registered likely Republican voters. However, the Real Clear Politics average shows Ramaswamy tied with former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with just 2.4% support, well behind Trump, DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
The entrepreneur has made reviving a national American identity a key plank of his 2024 platform, saying that “a strong sense of shared values and purpose is essential for progress.”