Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy announced his departure from his role as co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, just hours after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States.
This decision paves the way for Ramaswamy’s expected gubernatorial run in Ohio, which he plans to formally announce next week.
“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!” Ramaswamy posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Reports suggest that Elon Musk wanted Ramaswamy removed from DOGE due to internal disagreements, culminating in a divide within Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) team. According to Politico, a Republican strategist close to Trump’s advisers said, “Ramaswamy just burned through the bridges, and he finally burned Elon. Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of DC.”
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
The disagreements reportedly stemmed from the controversial H1-B visa debate. Ramaswamy had criticized American culture, suggesting that a preference for mediocrity over excellence was a reason tech companies often rely on foreign-born talent.
Musk echoed similar views, advocating for the expansion of the visa program to attract top engineering talent. In a post on X, Musk emphasized, “The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low.”
Musk likened recruiting top talent to assembling a pro sports team: “If you want your team to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever you can find it.”
Ramaswamy’s views on cultural stagnation and reliance on foreign-born talent faced backlash from within Trump’s base. In late December, he tweeted, “The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture.”
These statements caused a divide, with some in Trump’s inner circle opposing the expansion of the H1-B program.
Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, praised Ramaswamy’s contributions, stating, “He played a critical role in helping us create DOGE.” She added that Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial aspirations required him to step away from DOGE due to structural conflicts. Sources confirmed that Ramaswamy and Musk have since reconciled, with a mutual understanding that running for governor and co-leading DOGE were incompatible commitments.
At a rally on Sunday, Trump praised the work of DOGE without addressing Ramaswamy’s departure directly. He stated, “We have [Musk] and Vivek and some great people working on a thing called costs.”
As Ramaswamy prepares to focus on his political career in Ohio, his brief but impactful tenure in the Trump administration highlights the challenges of balancing innovative governance with political ambitions.
