Highlights from CNN's town hall featuring Vivek Ramaswamy

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy addressed a crowd of Iowa voters at a CNN town hall on Wednesday night, where he accused the federal government of consistently deceiving the American people. The Ohio entrepreneur's repetition of various far-right conspiracy theories and his resistance to CNN moderator Abby Phillip's questions demonstrated his attempt to connect with the Donald Trump-aligned, conspiracy-minded faction of the GOP electorate leading up to the January 15 Iowa caucuses, which mark the beginning of the party's 2024 presidential nominating process.

During the town hall at Grand View University in Des Moines, Ramaswamy shifted a question about medication abortion to criticize the federal bureaucracy. He also expressed conservative views on immigration enforcement and strongly criticized affirmative action efforts.

Here are the key points from the town hall:

Ramaswamy embraces conspiracy theories

Picking up on a theme he emphasized at the fourth Republican presidential primary debate last week, Ramaswamy embraced a series of conspiracy theories.

He selectively chose pieces of information to insinuate that federal law enforcement agents were responsible for instigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, characterizing the attack as "entrapment." Earlier this year, FBI Director Christopher Wray dismissed these suggestions as "ludicrous."

Similarly, he made claims regarding the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, highlighting the acquittal of several of the 14 people charged in the plot and disregarding the fact that nine were convicted.

Ramaswamy's claims sparked a lively discussion with Phillip, which sharply contrasted with Ramaswamy's relatively calm demeanor throughout the rest of the hour-long town hall. He admitted that he would have labeled these conspiracy theories as "fringe" and "nonsense" three years ago, but now believes that the federal government has consistently lied to the public about the coronavirus pandemic, Hunter Biden's laptop, and other issues.

Ramaswamy uses parenthood to talk income inequality – and his own wealth

During a conversation about income inequality and taxation, Ramaswamy was questioned about his intention to leave his substantial wealth to his two young sons. Although he had previously advocated for a 59% inheritance tax, he now favors a 12% flat tax rate.

Ramaswamy utilized the inquiry to explore his family's history, tracing back to his parents' immigration to the United States four decades ago and his establishment of multibillion-dollar enterprises. He views this generational transition, which he sees as the embodiment of the American dream, as something he aims to impart to his offspring.

While in college at Harvard, he recounted rubbing shoulders with the offspring of billionaires, noting that some seemed burdened by their inheritances. When asked about his plans to address the widening gap between the wealthy elite and the middle class, Ramaswamy emphasized his intention to concentrate on preventing the Federal Reserve from suppressing wage growth.

Ramaswamy pushes strict immigration stance

Ramaswamy demanded a comprehensive and rigorous approach to immigration enforcement, proposing the deployment of the military to ensure the security of both the southern and northern US borders, along with the utilization of local law enforcement to facilitate the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants.

The contentious stance is similar to Trump's and is likely to be met with legal opposition. Ramaswamy added that he would stop aid to Central American countries until they enforce stricter immigration policies and complete the US-Mexico border wall, in addition to deploying the US military to the border.