The Babylon Bee Again Accused of Racism Following Joke About Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy Babylon Bee
Screengrab via X (formerly Twitter) / @TheBabylonBee

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Christian satire site The Babylon Bee is again facing backlash for a joke that critics are characterizing as racist. 

The satirical headline came in the wake of Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suspending his campaign after securing only 7.7% of the vote at the Iowa Caucus on Monday (Jan. 15). In announcing the end of his campaign, Ramaswamy offered his endorsement to former president Donald Trump

The next day, The Babylon Bee posted an article, titled “Trump Promises Vivek An Administration Position Running The White House 7-Eleven,” alongside a photoshopped image of a disappointed Ramaswamy in a green 7-Eleven shirt. 

Ramaswamy is the son of Indian immigrants. 

Acknowledging the racial stereotype in the text of the article, The Babylon Bee joked, “When questioned, Trump was horrified at the accusations that any kind of racial stereotyping played into his selection of Ramaswamy. ‘I wanted to offer the job to DeSantis, frankly, but he’s too short to see over the little hot dog display.’”

Replies to The Babylon Bee’s post were quick to condemn the joke.

“The Babylon Bee is satire,” wrote one commenter. “Racist satire.” Another said, “I don’t think there’s a group that it’s more acceptable to be openly racist against than Indian-Americans.”

“I am an Indian-American and I find this grossly offensive,” said someone else. “Are we only good for running 7-11s?”

“If you ever wonder why some people are drawn to write conservative comedy, it’s because you don’t have to put in any effort,” another comment read. “You just regurgitate the racist stuff you’d hear on the playground, not even in a particularly clever way. Pretty easy grift.”

Nevertheless, others sought to defend The Babylon Bee against “woke conservatives in the comments.”

RELATED: The Babylon Bee Roasts VeggieTales Creator Following Twitter Abortion Debate

“I don’t get why everyone hates this, it’s hilarious,” one person wrote. “Like, have they never been to a 7-Eleven?”

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Dale Chamberlain
Dale Chamberlain (M.Div) is Content Manager for ChurchLeaders. With experience in pastoral ministry as well as the corporate marketing world, he is also an author and podcaster who is passionate about helping people tackle ancient truths in everyday settings. Dale lives in Southern California with his wife Tamara and their three sons.

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