Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy sues World Economic Forum — claiming that a Swiss organization had misrepresented him as one among its “young world leaders” and had refused to remove his name from its website for 2 years.
Ramaswamy, 37, the son of Indian immigrants who claims to be value $500 million, doesn’t wish to be related to the WEF’s “progressive” and “radical” policies and stances, in response to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohio , court.
Major political figures as diverse as Russian Vladimir Putin, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were “Young Global Leaders” (YGL) under the aegis of the WEF.
But Ramaswamy is one among many conservatives and others who consider that the WEF, which hosts its spectacular annual conference in the Swiss Alpine city of Davos, is run by the elites who organize what the WEF literally calls “latest world order.”
“This is a company that does lots of bad things and I even have publicly opposed them and I feel they must be held accountable,” Ramaswamy told The Post.
“The WEF has a radical worldview that rejects the principles on which America was founded. I’m not taken with being a “citizen of the world”. I’m American.”
WEF was founded in 1971 by German mechanical engineer Klaus Schwab, aged 85.
![Klaus Schwab](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009856203.jpg?w=1024)
Schwab, who’s bald and has a thick German accent, is usually caricatured by critics who see him as a James Bond villain bent on taking on the world.
Last yr, Schwab got hit like he was happy with it “penetrated into the offices” of many countries, including Canada and Argentina.
His opponents say he warned those who in the future they may need next to nothing, eat bugs, and “be comfortable.”
![Justin Trudeau](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009813425.jpg?w=1024)
Ramaswamy, a former biotech entrepreneur who also co-founded Strive, an asset management company, said he was “shocked” to find that the WEF had listed him as a Young World Leader in 2021 together with the likes of anti-racism activist and writer Ibram X. Kendi in 2021.
The WEF describes YGL as “a community of over 1,300 members and alumni, including public officials, business innovators, artists, educators, tech makers, journalists and activists.”
Its mission is to “create a dynamic global community of remarkable individuals with vision, courage and influence to drive positive change in the world.”
![World Economic Forum](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009854369.jpg?w=1024)
He said he clearly told the WEF that he didn’t want to hitch them and told them to not use his name and likeness. But he said the WEF did it anyway and stalked them for 2 years to remove him and his photo from the site. They eventually removed him from the site in January, but he stays on the list of Young Global Leaders 2021 several articles on the WEF website.
Ramaswamy accuses the WEF in the lawsuit of each enhancing its image by having someone like him on board – and damaging its own brand and popularity in the process.
“The World Economic Forum’s unwanted appropriation of Mr. Ramaswamy’s personality has created an illusion of belonging,” the lawsuit reads. “…Keep your mates close, your enemies even closer, he takes to heart.
“The WEF has apparently used this false and fabricated affiliation with Mr. Ramaswamy to undermine his credibility as a critic of the World Economic Forum and its goals.”
Indeed, journalist Jordan Schachtel wrote an article in February entitled “Vivek Ramaswamy Verification” during which he identified a few of Ramaswamy’s apparent inconsistencies, starting with the controversy surrounding the young global leader
Schachtel also said Ramaswamy is thought for his tough discuss China, but he has also had significant ties to China over the years, each opening businesses there and forming partnerships with Chinese firms.
He also called out Ramaswamy for possible links to George Soros because Ramaswamy was “Soros Scholar” in 2011.
Ramaswamy told The Post that the reason he has been speaking harshly about China currently is due to the whole lot he has learned while working in the country. He said he swore on his first day at Strive that the company wouldn’t put money into China.
He also said that his scholarship got here from Soros’s relatives Paul and Daisy Soros and only enabled him to review at Yale Law School. He added that he was “only 25” and had no contact with George Soros.
The lawsuit seeks only symbolic damages of $2,500.
![World Economic Forum](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009854365-1.jpg?w=1024)
“It is a bow shot,” said Ramaswamy. “They must be held accountable for what they did.”
The WEF didn’t reply to an email from The Post.