'Beauty of the whiteness destroyed by brown': Vivek Ramaswamy anniversary post flooded with racist abuse

Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican politician Vivek Ramaswamy has become the target of a wave of racist and anti-immigrant comments on social media after he shared a personal note celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary with his wife, Apoorva.

Ramaswamy, 37, took to X to post about their decade-long marriage, sharing a heartfelt memory from their first date in 2011. The couple, who met while Apoorva was a medical student, had hiked Flattop Mountain in the Rockies during that first outing. The post included two photographs — one from their initial date and another recent image marking their return to the mountain after 14 years and two children.

“In the fall of 2011, I met a brilliant medical student named Apoorva & asked her out on a first date - to head west for a weekend & hike Flattop Mountain in the Rockies. She accepted. We got within striking distance of the summit when a blizzard hit. I was foolishly stubborn about still making it, when she grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye, & said we had a lifetime ahead to come back and finish it. 14 years & two kids later, we finally made it back to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary this weekend. Grateful for the love of my life & every day of our journey together,” Ramaswamy wrote.

However, the post was soon flooded with xenophobic and racially charged replies, with several users telling the couple to “go back to India.” One user commented, “We would rather you go back to India and explore the hiking trails there please,” while another wrote, “Don’t you have mountains in your home country?”

The abuse didn’t stop there. One reply read, “You should be deported,” and another questioned their appearance: “Why do you both look 3-4 shades lighter? You didn’t bleach your skin, did you?”

Other shocking comments directed at Ramaswamy and his wife included deeply offensive remarks such as, “You’re both going back to India,” “The beauty of the whiteness destroyed by brown,” “Get out of my country,” “Making the snow stink,” and “Go back to your hole, we DO NOT TRUST YOU.”

The backlash comes amid growing tension over the H-1B visa programme in the United States. Ramaswamy, whose parents emigrated from Kerala, has been a vocal critic of the visa system, yet continues to face accusations of hypocrisy because of his Indian heritage.

The H-1B debate has intensified since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with far-right groups claiming that the programme displaces American workers and poses a cultural threat. Despite such views, Trump and his inner circle have supported the visa programme, arguing that the U.S. must attract top global talent to maintain its leadership in sectors like technology, healthcare and research.

Ramaswamy, a second-generation Indian-American, is the founder of Roivant Sciences and several other successful ventures in biotech and asset management. In 2022, he launched Strive Asset Management, a firm promoting shareholder-focused capitalism over political agendas.