Currently running for the Ohio governor’s post, Indian-origin Vivek Ramaswamy made a major appearance at this week’s Turning Point USA event at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman. As he joined Montana Governor Greg Gianforte to honour the legacy of the organisation’s late founder Charlie Kirk, the former presidential candidate struck up conversations with several attendees during the QnA segment.

One such interaction with a person who came up to the mic circled around Ramaswamy’s religious faith. The American entrepreneur has long been open about being a Hindu, an issue that has repeatedly popped up as a big question on campaign trails and other events with him at the centre. Given his alignment with right-wing politics, the issue has often come up in conversations, especially since the majority (74%) of Republicans and Republican leaners identify as Christians, according to the Pew Research Center.

Turning Point USA audience member questions Vivek Ramaswamy’s faith

The same aspect of his identity came to the forefront this past week, as someone walked up to ask him how his Hindu faith aligned with the rather Christian-dominant right-wing nonprofit Kirk founded in the early 2010s. Ramaswamy didn’t shy away from sharing the dialogue on social media either, prompting applause from Democrat Ro Khanna as well.

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Taking to his official X account, he posted the video of what happened in Montana. “Started as a very awkward moment when a young man questioned my faith,” he wrote alongside the clip. “Ended with a beautiful moment of education & a celebration of our Constitution. Only in America (heart emoji) (American flag emoji).”

The attendee in focus raised a “personal question,” saying, “You call yourself a Hindu but you also call yourself Christian.” Vivek instantly interjected there and then, and clarified, “I don’t call myself a Christian. I call myself a Hindu.”

The other man went on to say, “Based on what Turning Point’s values are, which is Christianity,” highlighting his confusion over Ramaswamy’s association with the brand. It then prompted him to ask, “I guess, I don’t understand why a polytheistic ideology would support a monotheistic ideology, which is Christianity… Why you have Christian values in that way?”

How Vivek Ramaswamy responded to the Hindu-Christian debate

Remarking that he was “happy to address” the issue – as he often has in such cases, Ramaswamy put forth a question of himself. He asked the man what exactly he knew about Hinduism, to which he replied, “Hinduism a polytheistic religion…” Cutting in, Vivek then presented his views on the matter, admitting that he is actually a monotheist.

Given the confusion it could inspire, he explained, “I believe there’s one true God – from the Vedanta tradition of Advaita philosophy.” Then turning to the attendee’s faith, Christianity, he again popped a question: “Do you believe in the Holy Trinity?” As an affirmative response came his way, the Silicon Valley personality went on, “And that doesn’t make you a polytheist, does it?”

Considering the good “spiritual question,” Vivek acknowledged, “Every religion has its reconciling of the One and the Many. In my faith, I believe there’s one true God. He resides in all of us, and he appears in different forms, but it’s one true God.”

Calling himself an “ethical monotheist,” the former presidential candidate quipped, “I’m not running to be a pastor, I’m running to governor of Ohio. I didn’t run to be pastor of America. I ran to be the president of the United States of America.”

He then posed an even bigger question to the man: “Do you think it’s inappropriate for someone who is a Hindu to be say… a US president?” The person said no, adding, “Hinduism believes in Shiva and the flute God,” which prompted Ramaswamy to correct him, “Krishna.”

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Reiterating his previous statements, he continued, “You think of the Holy Trinity… You’re not a polytheist either. That’s a similar philosophy.” Moving the conversation along while confessing that he loves such spiritual dialogues, Ramaswamy turned to focus on the “shared values of the country.” The gubernatorial candidate ultimately welcomed the man to the stage, noting that he wanted to give him something that meant a lot to him, which he claimed was next to his faith and family.

While applauding the man for his “tough question,” Vivek first shook hands with him and then picked up the US Constitution from the his podium. Noting how “near and dear” it was to his heart, Ramaswamy said, “What matters more than our differences is our shared value set.” Asking the eventgoer to flip the pages to Article 6, the US politician suggested he read Part 3 to the audience.

The US Constitution ultimately laid out the answer to the question Vivek previously asked about religious eligibility when considering an American president candidate. Article 6, Clause 3 states: “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

Ro Khanna applauds Vivek Ramaswamy

Despite aligning with opposition Democratic Party, fellow Indian-origin Congressman Ro Khanna praised Ramaswamy’s handling of the situation. Taking to X, he re-shared Vivek’s social media post, and wrote, “This was a powerful moment when @VivekGRamaswamy did not hide from his Hindu faith, engaged in dialogue with someone of deep Christian faith, and had him read Article 6 of the Constitution of no religious test for office. Our nation needs more of this.

Vivek Ramaswamy has often proudly spoken of his Hindu faith

The interaction was instantly reminiscent of a prior conversation Vivek struck at a Penn State University Turning Point USA event last year. During a “You’ve Been Brainwashed Tour” gathering, the Indian-origin entrepreneur was hit with a rather incendiary response, as someone from the audience went on to claim that most people in the room at the time associated the “true God” identity with Jesus Christ. He also slammed Hinduism as a “wicked, pagan religion,” labelling it “completely incompatible with America.”

Addressing the big question about his faith, Ramaswamy hit back hard, saying, “You run for US President at the age of 37. As somebody who’s been in business, who’s actually…easiest thing to call myself, some Vic Ramsey and pretend to be a Christian, got other people on that debate stage last time who shortened their names and called themselves to be a Christian, too.”

“I man up and tell you who I am, and believe me, your suspicion is off base. Listen to any number of the campaign speeches I gave over thousands of them over the course of the last year,” he said of the man accusing him of not mentioning the God he was talking about.

In a similar response elsewhere, Ramaswamy had previously hailed that his faith gave him freedom, leading him to his presidential campaign. “I am a Hindu. I believe that God is true. God has sent us here for a purpose. It is our duty to realise the purpose of God. It is our moral duty. The core of our religion is that God resides in all of us,” he said back then. “Those are God’s instruments that work through us in different ways, but we are still equal because God resides in each of us. That’s the core of my faith.”

Additionally, a December 2023 interaction again brought Ramaswamy’s faith under the scanner at the CNN Townhall. “What do you say to those who say to you that you cannot be our president because your religion is not what our founding fathers based our country on,” someone questioned.

The then-presidential candidate ultimately spoke out, “Would I be the best president to spread Christianity through this country, no I would not be the perfect choice for that… My job will be to make faith, patriotism cool in this country.”