20-Year-Old Clip Of Ramaswamy Resurfaces In Which He Asks Presidential Candidate, ‘Why Should I Vote For the One With the Least Political Experience?’

A clip of 2024 presidential Vivek Ramaswamy asking then-2004 Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton surfaced online Monday in which the political upstart questioned Sharpton’s political experience, or lack thereof.

The clip is notable given that Ramaswamy, 38, is running for president despite having spent his entire career in the private sector.

During the October 27, 2003 edition of Hardball on MSNBC, host Chris Matthews moderated a town hall with Sharpton, who at the time was seeking the Democratic nomination. The moment was flagged by an obscure Twitter account with just five followers on Aug. 18, and it just started making the rounds on the platform Monday.

Just over seven minutes into the show, Ramaswamy, then 18 years old, asked Sharpton about his lack of government service:

RAMASWAMY: Reverend, Hello. I’m Vivek and I wanna ask you, last week on the show we had Senator Kerry, and this week and the week before, we had Senator Edwards. And my question for you is, of all the Democratic candidates out there, why should I vote for the one with the least political experience?

SHARPTON: Well, shouldn’t, because I have the most political experience.

[LAUGHTER]

SHARPTON: I got involved in the political movement when I was 12 years old and I’ve been involved in social policy for the last 30 years. So, don’t confuse people that have a job with political experience.

Ramaswamy has surged in the polls in recent weeks. During the first GOP debate on Wednesday, he took fire after claiming he’s the only candidate on the stage who’s not “bought and paid for.” Subsequently, his rivals spent much of the debate attacking him.

Ramaswamy has largely avoided going after former President Donald Trump, who remains the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary.

Watch above via MSNBC.