A protester allegedly rammed their car into the back of one of Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign vehicles after flipping the Republican candidate off just ahead of an event that was held in Iowa.

(Video Credit: KCCI)

Ramaswamy’s team is claiming the collision was intentional but the protesters and police are saying it was accidental.

The incident occurred in Grinnell, Iowa, where Ramaswamy was slated to speak with a reporter and a panel about the presidential race.

According to Fox News Digital, a group of leftist protesters gathered outside Ramaswamy’s event at Saints Rest Coffee House on Thursday. His campaign team asserted that a female driver of a blue Honda Civic and her passenger were shouting obscenities at the presidential candidate. They blasted a car horn at him and flipped him off.

That same woman was allegedly the one who later slammed into the back of one of Ramaswamy’s campaign vehicles, a parked SUV, before attempting to drive off.

Had a civil exchange with protestors today, right before two of them then got into their car & rammed it into ours. Those two should be held accountable, but the rest of the peaceful protestors shouldn’t be tarred by the behavior of two bad actors. https://t.co/AePWupLDEj

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) October 5, 2023

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign says at least two protesters upset about the Republican presidential candidate’s remarks in opposition to aid for Ukraine purposely rammed his car in Iowa in retaliation on Thursday, but police say there is no evidence to support the claim that the crash was intentional,” the Associated Press reported.

“The police account of the crash in the central Iowa city of Grinnell sharply diverged from the story told earlier by Ramaswamy’s campaign, which contended that protesters yelled and swore at the candidate before at least one of them jumped into a vehicle, rammed his empty campaign car and sped off,” the media outlet added.

Des Moines police are claiming that the accident was unintentional and the driver did not flee the scene. The woman received a traffic summons for unsafe backing.

Ramaswamy spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the Associated Press that the campaign stands by its claim that the driver was a protester. She also noted there were two people in the vehicle that hit the campaign car.

“I’m confident of what happened. I was there,” McLaughlin stated.

She added, “It seemed like the protestor couldn’t stay at the event or didn’t want to and wanted to make a statement. (Though I can’t assign motivations.) The driver began to drive off but stopped suddenly after staffers chased after to get insurance information.”

No one was hurt in the altercation. Ramaswamy’s campaign team filed a police report on the matter.

Two protesters, aged 22 and 26, rammed their vehicle into @VivekGRamaswamy’s car as he visited Saints Rest Coffee House in Grinnell, Iowa on Thursday.

The 2024 presidential hopeful is not hurt and was not in the car at the time of the incident. pic.twitter.com/witPOe9uj1

— Katelyn Caralle (@Katelyn_Caralle) October 5, 2023

Immediately after the incident, other protesters started harassing Ramaswamy as he entered the coffee house. They called him an “a**hole” as they praised public schools and teachers. One yelled, “Protect trans kids!” and another informed the GOP hopeful, “Climate change is real!” according to Fox News.

“Anyone else have something to say?” Ramaswamy asked the liberal mob.

“What’s it like being the punching bag of the RNC?” one of them quipped in return.

“Well, I think the RNC is corrupt. I think both political parties are pretty corrupt,” Ramaswamy told the protester.

The politically-motivated attackers continued to hammer Ramaswamy over leftist issues.

“My mom’s a public school worker and she deserves to be paid and respected!” one of them shouted.

Suppose a guy wearing a MAGA hat is standing amongst protestors at a Democrat presidential candidate’s event, then gets into his car with aggressive bumper stickers, flips off the candidate & screams profanities, lays on his horn, and then reverse-rams the candidate’s parked SUV.… https://t.co/eg7uSKUxSn

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) October 6, 2023

“I think every person deserves to be respected but we are failing to do right by our kids in this country,” Ramaswamy responded to the protester. “Our achievement gap versus other countries is bad and we’re all in that together.”

“But here is what I will say: The beauty of this country is that you all have the right to express your opinions and you’re doing it peacefully. And even though I disagree with you, I’m proud of you for expressing your views even if I disagree with you,” he contended.

That was nowhere near good enough for the rabid progressives.

One of the protesters accused Ramaswamy of wanting to “destroy her job and her livelihood,” referring to her mother, who is evidently a teacher.

This was ironic. https://t.co/kTRsFH0gvS

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) October 5, 2023

“I do want to fix our public schools though. So thank her for her service for me. I really mean that,” Ramaswamy replied.

“But we also have to focus on how we’re going to improve the achievement of our kids. And I think with your mom, if she’s as earnest as you’re describing, I’m sure she cares about the same thing, we’re not getting there with the existing system we have. So we’re gonna have to find a better way to do it. And one of the ways we’re going to do it is through open debate. You guys are doing your part. I’m gonna do mine. Keep it up,” he unflinchingly responded.

As the police arrived at the gathering, the protesters melted away.

“Vivek will always stand for free speech and the right to peaceful protest, but when protesters cross the line and escalate to physical (intentional or otherwise) that is unAmerican and unacceptable,” McLaughlin told FOX News Digital concerning the altercation.

“I believe in free speech, especially for those who disagree with me. Violence is never the answer. We will always hold ourselves to a higher standard than the other side,” Ramaswamy later posted to X.

I believe in free speech, especially for those who disagree with me. Violence is never the answer. We will always hold ourselves to a higher standard than the other side. https://t.co/mWm16yBrOJ

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) October 5, 2023

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