evidence: CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy had just finished a speech at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting when he found himself chatting backstage with Donald Trump. [...] While some Republicans are running as more electable or effective than Trump, and others embrace a pre-Trump GOP posture or are outright anti-Trump, Ramaswamy is pitching himself as something different — the next iteration of Trump, who is at times chummy with his rival. An entrepreneur who made a fortune in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, Ramaswamy is a first-time candidate looking to break through a field of more conventional rivals by touting a suite of proposals some experts have said are extreme and dangerous and would push the bounds of presidential authority. The son of Indian immigrants won enthusiastic applause at some recent multicandidate events — including this month’s Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, an event focused on evangelical voters. Polls show him to be part of a crowded pack of current or former governors, an ex-vice president and other more experienced candidates running well behind Trump and trailing the distant second-place competitor nationally, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose struggles have opened the door for other underdogs to rise. He says he already qualified for the first debate and some Republican strategists regard Ramaswamy as a wild card who could alter the contours of the race as he taps his personal wealth to fund his campaign.