Businessman and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will not be leading President Donald Trump’s government efficiency commission alongside billionaire Elon Musk.
Ramaswamy departed President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shortly after he attended Trump’s inauguration Monday at the U.S. Capitol, the Associated Press reported. Trump is set to officially establish DOGE with an executive order Monday as liberal nonprofit groups launch legal challenges to its existence.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” spokesperson Anna Kelly told the AP.
“He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.”
Ramaswamy is expected to announce a run for Ohio’s governorship later this month to replace popular GOP incumbent Mike DeWine, whose term expires in 2026. If he decides to run, Ramaswamy could easily tap into his estimated $960 million net worth to fund his campaign independently.
Ramaswamy was rumored to be in contention for Vice President J. D. Vance’s Ohio Senate seat, but DeWine chose Ohio GOP lieutenant governor Jon Husted to fill the seat instead. Once a swing-state, Ohio has become solidly red and overwhelmingly voted for Trump this past November over former vice president Kamala Harris.
Trump announced in November that Ramaswamy and Musk, two of his wealthiest and most vocal allies, would co-lead DOGE’s effort to cut the federal budget and streamline government operations. Ramaswamy and Musk met with enthusiastic GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill in December to begin discussions about implementing DOGE’s ideas through the legislative process. House and Senate Republicans have established DOGE caucuses to workshop methods for slashing the budget and reorganizing the federal government.
Ramaswamy appeared to embrace his role with DOGE on social media with frequent posts about reducing the size of government and an update to his X bio reflecting his position. As a presidential candidate, Ramaswamy made dramatic reforms to the administrative state his trademark issue before bowing out of the race after the Iowa caucuses.
In late December, Ramaswamy drew controversy for arguing strongly in favor of the H-1B immigrant visa program, a kind of visa used by many Indians seeking jobs in the tech industry. Ramaswamy controversially argued that Americans have embraced a culture of mediocrity instead of academic excellence, unlike immigrant families.