Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a close Donald Trump ally tasked with helping to dismantle the federal government, is facing scorn from both sides of the aisle for saying America has a culture problem — it focuses on prom queens and sports over math and science — and that's why tech companies hire more people from India and China.
In a post on X, he wrote, "Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn’t start in college, it starts YOUNG."
According to Ramaswamy, television shows like "Saved by the Bell" and "Boy Meets World" frequently celebrated "the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers."
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"More movies like Whiplash, fewer reruns of 'Friends,'" he complained. "More math tutoring, fewer sleepovers. More weekend science competitions, fewer Saturday morning cartoons. More books, less TV. More creating, less 'chillin.' More extracurriculars, less 'hanging out at the mall.'"
Ramaswamy's old-school pop-culture references were met with ridicule online over his shady business practices in the past.
MDBG Capital, an investment group, commented on the notion, pointing out that Ramaswamy is the "former CEO of a failed/sketchy biotech company that caused loss $ for many while he and his mother pocketed millions. This is who is preaching to American Citizens about accountability and efficiency? Are you dumb? Wolf in sheep's clothing."
"Denigrating mediocre white men who peaked in high school shows the kind of dead-on political instincts that have made Vivek Ramaswamy so beloved in MAGA circles," editor and songwriter Jack Feerick posted on Bluesky.
The Blaze's host and columnist Auron MacIntyre wrote on X: "Turns out the 'waste' that DOGE [the Department of Government Effeciency] wanted to cut from America was Americans."
MAGA fan and Trump supporter Brenden Dilley replied, "So basically, tech bros prefer foreign-born workers because they're willing to work 90 hours per week, rather than having a work/life balance. Got it."
Adrian Vermeule, of Harvard Law School, commented that it's part of a larger problem in American society.
"Nerds should be on tap, not on top. (And I say that as an incorrigible nerd myself). This is actually broader than the immigration issue. It has to do with what sort of elite, what sort of ruling class, a nation ought to have: one trained to statesmanship and judgment, or one trained to merely technical competence," he wrote.
"I’m bad at political predictions, but wouldn’t be surprised to see President Trump shortly rein in the @DOGE duumviri, who seemed to have gotten out a bit far over their skis," he added.
Lawyer Mark R. Yzaguirre promoted Vermeule's comment by agreeing, "Revenge of the Nerds-style resentment masking as policy analysis. It’s a Boxing Day miracle!"
He also pointed out, "Vivek Ramaswamy wants to work for Donald Trump. I guarantee you that Donald Trump didn’t grow up spending weekends working on Math Club activities."
Bloomberg podcast host Joe Weisenthal summed it up as Ramaswamy saying, "degeneracy of American culture, which prizes jocks over nerds, and Stefan over Urkel in Saved By The Bell."
Georgetown University researcher Marguerite Roza, who wrote the book "Educational Economics," found that one high school football player costs $1,300 each year. A math class student costs half. While a math class costs about half as much per pupil, making education less costly than athletics.
