Vivek Ramaswamy is leaving President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.
Instead of leading the group with Elon Musk, he's expected to run for governor of Ohio, according to various media reports.
"It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE," Ramaswamy wrote on X on Monday evening. "I'm confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government."
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
"Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE. He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today," a Trump spokesperson, Anna Kelly, said, according to The New York Times and the Associated Press. "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!"
A source familiar with the matter previously told BI that Trump was encouraging Ramaswamy to seek Vice President JD Vance's vacated Senate seat. But on Friday, Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to the position.
On Monday, Ramaswamy wrote on X that he would "have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio."
Prior to the intrigue about the prospect that Ramaswamy might be appointed to the US Senate, the tech entrepreneur and onetime 2024 presidential candidate was expected to co-lead DOGE with Musk.
The change leaves Musk as the sole leader of the government-efficiency initiative, which Trump said he would officially establish via executive order on Monday.
In recent days, Ramaswamy has been publicly toying with the idea of a gubernatorial bid in the Buckeye State. On Friday, he publicly thanked Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, a big booster of DOGE in the Senate, on X after she said she would support him if he chose to run for governor.
Thank you @VoteMarsha! https://t.co/9DfYe4krWI
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 17, 2025
