Bill Ackman Says Presidential Hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy Is 'Spot On' That US Inclusion Agenda Has Created 'New Form Of Racism'

Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy’s comments on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, at a CNN Townhall held on Thursday, gained the approval of hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman.

What Happened: DEI should not be a goal but just be a byproduct of actually selecting the best person for the job, and people with diverse viewpoints as well, especially in a university setting, said Ramaswamy.

The businessman and GOP primary candidate was replying to a question from Claire Musalman, a Drake University Professor, on what strategies he would implement as president to promote diversity and inclusion in leadership roles in both public and private sectors.

“If we restore true meritocracy in this country and embrace true diversity of thought, chances are we are actually going to have a bunch of different elements and a range of genders in different positions,” Ramasamy said.

Currently, the inclusion agenda has been abused and in the name of diversity, many universities have totally sacrificed diversity of thought, he said. “In the name of equity, we have perpetuated a lot of inequity and inequality of opportunity," he said, adding “in the name of inclusion, we have created a new culture of exclusion where certain view points are welcome.”

The GOP candidate said diversity of viewpoint is important. “I think diversity of viewpoint is part of what this country is built on,” he said, adding that the best way to foster diversity of viewpoint is screen candidates based on the diversity of views.

“In the name of diversity, we’ve actually created a new culture of conformity,” Ramaswamy said. "The use of these racial and gender quota systems has actually created a new form of racism in the U.S.," he said.

See Also: Best ESG Stocks

Sharing a video clip of the townhall, Pershing Square’s Ackman said, “He is spot on here.”

Why It’s Important: DEI has been in the news currently, especially with the anti-Semitism in college campuses. Harvard President Claudine Gay, a Black American, was in the eye of the storm recently for not doing enough to condemn anti-Semitism in the campus.

Her comments at Congressional hearing earlier this month came for severe criticism. Although apologizing later, she said the university was just adhering to the principles of free speech and that some have misconstrued as suggesting it condoned anti-Semitism.

Read Next: IBM Chief Arvind Krishna Says Nothing Illegal About Hiring Practices After Musk’s Alarm Over Leaked Video: ‘I Have Thick Skin’