Pro-crypto Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has dropped out of the United States presidential election, putting an almost certain end to his nearly year-long campaign.

Speaking at a Jan. 16 press conference in Des Moines, Ramaswamy told his followers that he would no longer be running for president, stating: “As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign.”

“There’s no path for me to be the next president absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country.”

Live from Des Moines, IA | Vivek 2024 Caucus Night Press Conference https://t.co/ykH9wRlSKL

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 16, 2024

"There needs to be an America First candidate in this race,” Ramaswamy added, saying that he would be throwing his weight behind Donald Trump in the upcoming election. "Going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency. We did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight”

Ramaswamy emerged on the presidential campaign circuit as a relatively unknown candidate but quickly garnered a following from the crypto community for his outspoken policy proposals concerning Bitcoin and other digital assets.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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