Vivek Ramaswamy, the failed presidential candidate President Donald Trump tapped in November to co-lead the toothless Department of Government Efficiency, wants you to think he quit the project because he plans to run for governor of Ohio.
In a post to social media on Monday Ramaswamy noted it was an “honor to help support the creation of DOGE” but that he was stepping aside for greener pastures.
It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/f1YFZm8X13— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 20, 2025
Reporting from The Washington Post, however, suggests that Ramaswamy didn’t leave on his own accord. Rather, he was pushed out by billionaire Elon Musk because he didn’t share the same vision for the initiative as the unelected co-president.
According to the Post, Ramaswamy was the mastermind behind a November op-ed in the Wall Street Journal where the two advocated for slashing billions of dollars’ worth of essential government services. Ramaswamy allegedly wanted DOGE to function as a sort of think tank—a nongovernmental body whose function would be to determine which government agencies could be slashed and which regulations could be repealed without congressional approval.
But Musk had no interest in this, according to the Post, which cited more than a half-dozen people with direct knowledge of the situation. The Tesla CEO and X owner apparently had a “competing vision,” which entailed doing things from a “technology-first perspective.” He also wanted DOGE to operate within the government.
Tensions were exacerbated after Ramaswamy went on a social media rant where he alleged that American culture rewards mediocrity and voiced support for H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers (something Musk also supports). But his tirade didn’t sit well with Trump’s allies or Musk, according to Politico.
“Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.,” a Republican strategist who is close to Trump’s advisers told the outlet.
A second source told Politico that “they wanted [Ramaswamy] out before the [“mediocrity”] tweet—but kicked him to the curb when that came out.”
Elon Musk “dancing”
Musk, a nuisance in his own right, also made it known that he no longer wanted Ramaswamy to be part of DOGE. A person close to the advisory commission told Politico that Musk didn’t think it was feasible for Ramaswamy to both campaign for public office and work within the federal government.
Then there’s the fact that, despite being co-chairs of the special commission, Musk was supposedly the one who called the shots. The Post noted that while Ramaswamy visited the SpaceX offices that housed DOGE staff on various occasions, only Musk had the authority to direct their work.
“They’ve been wanting Vivek to step aside so Elon could have more control,” one person briefed on the matter told the Post. “There was tension, and then they had an out and kind of took the out.”
In other words, the two were never really partners—they were co-heads in name only, or CHINOs.
Apparently, Ramaswamy had performed virtually no DOGE-related work since early December, according to Politico. One person with knowledge of the deteriorating DOGE structure told the Post the joint arrangement was “probably doomed from the jump.” And they were right: Musk’s vision seems to have won in the end.
For instance, while draft executive orders preferred by Musk were implemented, ones put forth by Ramaswamy and his team were reportedly ignored by Musk and are unlikely to get issued, according to the Post.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order renaming the U.S. Digital Service, created under former President Barack Obama, to the U.S. DOGE Service, which will determine best practices for the government use of technology. Specifically, the purpose of Musk’s DOGE will be to “implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” according to the executive order.
This is far more in-line with Musk’s technology-forward vision for DOGE. It also landed him a White House office and email address—and all the unbridled access that comes with that.
In his new role, per the executive order, Musk will have “full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems.” And now, thanks to Trump, DOGE will be able to sidestep federal hiring rules—and Trump’s hiring freeze—since DOGE is a White House office.
Despite the reportedly heated behind-the-scenes exchanges between Musk, Ramaswamy, and allies for both men, it appears there’s no bad blood between the two. Before announcing his departure from DOGE, Ramaswamy posted a photo of the two shaking hands.
A new dawn. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/a3Vthjth69— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 20, 2025
According to the Post, Musk is also expected to publicly endorse Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial candidacy.
With Ramaswamy out of the picture, Musk will likely have to bear the brunt—and face the potential consequences—of the various lawsuits targeting DOGE.
Ramaswamy’s future is less clear. We don’t know whether he can win statewide in Ohio, and Trump seems to care little about his political future. A spokesperson for the president only issued a half-hearted statement, saying Trump’s team “expect[s] him to play a vital role in making America great again.”
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