Anti-ESG Crusader With Tiny Fund Says He Wants to Beat BlackRock

It was smiles all around as the familiar Wall Street ritual—the ringing of the closing bell—played out again at the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 10. But this was no ordinary photo op.

As the bell clanged and cheers went up, the figure in the center, Vivek Ramaswamy, was visibly delighted. A wealthy biotech entrepreneur turned anti-“woke” evangelist, he’s at the vanguard of a new conservative movement—one that’s bringing America’s political divisions to the money-loving heart of Wall Street.

Its target: BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset management company. Forget #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and rainbow flags. ...