Vivek Ramaswamy spent $12,000 in campaign funds on luxury trip to Puerto Rico ahead of H1-B meeting: Report

Ohio gubernatorial candidate and Indian-American politician Vivek Ramaswamy Trump spent nearly $12,000 of campaign funds on a luxury trip to Puerto Rico, according to campaign finance documents and reports from MeidasTouch, a progressive American political media organization.Records show that in November 2025, Ramaswamy’s campaign paid $11,898.25 to the Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Dorado Beach, one of Puerto Rico’s most luxurious resorts, for “travel.” The resort, with one-bedroom suites priced as high as $5,820 per night, offers high-end accommodations, private dining, golf courses, a five-acre spa and other sports facilities.Ramaswamy is a billionaire, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $2.2 billion. He traveled to the island ahead of ITServe Alliance Synergy’s annual conference, scheduled for December 2025. He will deliver a keynote address at the event, advocating for changes to H-1B visa policy, including raising annual caps and easing restrictions. The organization also engages in lobbying and legal challenges related to U.S. immigration policy.There were reports that Ramaswamy withdrew from the meeting shortly before it began because he had received criticism from some conservative commentators online about the group’s stance on H-1B visas. The H-1B visa is a U.S. work permit that allows companies to hire foreign professionals in specialized occupations that require highly specialized knowledge or skills.During the trip, Ramaswamy posted on social media showing him playing pickleball at the resort with internet celebrities and YouTubers Logan Paul and Jake Paul. The resort has a sports center where guests can enjoy leisure activities.The lavish trip, coupled with Ramaswamy’s planned meetings, exits and his leisure activities, raised questions about how campaign funds were spent. A campaign spokesman told The Ohio Signal that Ramaswamy “plans to travel to Puerto Rico regardless of the meeting.” In addition, Ramaswamy founded the biotech company Roivant Sciences in 2014, which acquired an Alzheimer’s disease drug that had failed in previous clinical trials and launched it in 2015, raising hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. The stock later plummeted, leaving many investors with huge losses, while Ramaswamy has profited from selling shares.