Vivek Ramaswamy’s Attempt to Lift a Child Goes Viral in Ohio

Vivek Ramaswamy, running as the MAGA candidate for Ohio governor, attempted a classic photo-op by inviting a 10-year-old boy with a “My dad is deployed—proud military kid for Trump” sign onto the stage in Vandalia. He announced he would pick the child up, lifted him a short distance, then seemed to lose his hold, shouting “Whoa!” before regaining control and calling the youngster a “big guy.” The brief mishap was instantly circulated on social media, prompting scathing remarks from figures such as Nick Field, Adam Parkhomenko, Sam Stein, Brendan Boyle, and Majid M. Padellan.

Critics labeled the footage a “brutal” and “pathetic” moment that could linger over the campaign. This episode adds to earlier criticism of Ramaswamy’s media strategy, including a September video of him swinging a bat while outlining ten gubernatorial promises, which was later removed from Instagram.