Vivek Ramaswamy has emerged in recent years as one of the key figures in the Republican scene. His fresh ideas and youthful vigor have been a draw to many who would otherwise be understandably disillusioned with the state of American politics.

Though his run for the Republican presidential nomination was unsuccessful, his influence in the party remains significant. A longtime friend of Trump's running mate JD Vance, Vivek is determined both to get Trump elected and to push the Republican Party in a more liberty-friendly direction on certain issues.

Vivek calls his position "national libertarianism," and he distinguishes it from what he calls the "national protectionist" view, another prominent perspective within right-wing politics. In a recent speech at NatCon, he identified three key areas where these two views diverge: trade, immigration, and the regulatory state.

FEE's president Diogo Costa and I recently sat down with Vivek to discuss these issues, as well as the broader battle for the soul of the American right. To present his ideas fairly and transparently, Vivek's full responses are included below (omitting a few of the questions we asked for the sake of brevity). After the transcript, I follow up with a few comments of my own.