US presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy was heard going to the bathroom during a live broadcast.
The Republican took part in an X Space conversation with Elon Musk, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, representative Matt Gaetz and Andrew Tate yesterday.
During the call, Ramaswamy was describing how he was “super pro-human – and I mean all humans … uh, you know, humans in America” when the sound of trickling water prompted another participant to cut him off.
Jones, who was reinstated on X on Sunday, first called out the bathroom break and said: “Somebody’s got their thing on while they’re peeing!”
Trying to prevent the gaffe, host Mario Nawfal said: “Vivek, Vivek, that’s your phone, Vivek. I’m not able to mute you.”
“Sorry about that,” Ramaswamy said while being caught out.
Musk said after an awkward pause: “Well, I hope you feel better now.”
“I feel great, thank you,” Ramaswamy responded while laughing.
Mr Ramaswamy appeared to take the gaffe in stride, responding to a post about the incident by calling the space “a censorship-free zone”.
Mr Ramaswamy has struggled in his bid to lead the Republican party into the 2024 election.
According to a recent poll, 61% of Republicans said they would vote for Donald Trump.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former UN envoy Nikki Haley are tied in second with 11%, while Ramaswamy languishes in fourth with 5%.
The online poll of 1,689 self-identified Republicans was conducted between 5-11 December.
While Mr Ramaswamy is a long shot for winning the GOP nomination, Trump has praised him on Truth Social.
“Vivek WINS because he thinks l’m great,” the former president said after the fourth debate.
Read more about the GOP candidates:
Who is Vivek Ramaswamy – the youngest Republican candidate ever?
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Five things to know about Ron DeSantis
Chris Christie – Trump’s former friend who is ‘going after’ him
During the X Space, Musk interviewed Jones – who was banned from the app in 2018 for incitements to violence – and asked him about his comments on the Sandy Hook school shootings.
Jones repeatedly claimed on InfoWars that the shooting was not real. He once described it as being as “phoney as a three-dollar bill,” and accused the victims of “method acting”.
He was later found liable for defaming the parents of children killed in the mass shooting in 2021.
In 2022, Jones admitted the shooting was “100% real” and was ordered to pay $1.5bn to the victims’ families.
He filed for bankruptcy the same year.
Mr Ramaswamy supported Jones in the X Space, saying he believed there would be more “truth than not” from the conspiracy theorist.
