Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy responded to polling that shows his unfavorability rising, with one commentator saying Americans find him "annoying" on Sunday.
Ramaswamy responded to the polls during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday" with host Shannon Bream. Bream cited a Fox News Poll showing that unfavorable views of Ramaswamy have risen 12% since August.
"'Of all the descriptors attached to Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old political tyro enjoying a bizarre surge in the Republican primary race for second place, the most common one seems to be ‘annoying,’" Bream quoted from an opinion article.
"Why do you think, as more people have gotten to know you, that your unfavorables are up too?" she asked.
"We have been taking intense criticism, Shannon, over the last several weeks since I performed well on that second debate, and this is part of the process," Ramaswamy said. "So I invite the open debate."
"The reality is many people are annoyed by my rise and believe that a 38-year-old is too young to be U.S. president," he added. "The fact of the matter is that Thomas Jefferson was 33 years old when he wrote the U.S. Declaration of Independence. He also invented the swivel chair while he was at it, by the way."
Ramaswamy remains in third place behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump. Trump maintains a commanding lead over the rest of the GOP field, however.
Ramaswamy insists his campaign is on a path to success, however, pointing to his surge in support over the past several weeks.
"We came from 0.0% to where we are now," he told Bream. "I think we’re on track to win this election."
