If you’re like many Americans, you might have been wondering how the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was going to work with two big dogs—Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy—at the top. Well, it looks like the DOGE dynamics have sorted themselves out, and a big shakeup has just taken place.
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According to the Trump White House, Vivek Ramaswamy has officially left the government-adjacent commission as of Monday.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the commission, said in a statement. “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.”
At his Sunday pre-inauguration rally, Trump seemed to be getting ahead of the rumors of Ramaswamy’s departure by telling the crowd at the Capital One Arena that it was full steam ahead with DOGE.
🚨BREAKING: President Trump just CONFIRMED Vivek Ramaswamy is still apart of the DOGE team alongside Elon Musk pic.twitter.com/WvFVqyYU9b
— James Jinnette (@james_jinnette1) January 19, 2025
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And nothing seemed amiss on Ramaswamy’s end, either.
A new dawn. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/a3Vthjth69
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 20, 2025
So, what could be behind the change of heart? There don’t seem to be any hard feelings here, but reports ramped up over the past week that Ramaswamy was interested in holding public office.
As RedState reported on Friday, Ramaswamy apparently lobbied hard to be named as JD Vance’s successor in the Senate, but Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) opted instead for his own lieutenant governor, Jon Husted. Husted will serve through 2026 when a special election will be held to decide who should serve the remainder of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028.
It’s a good bet that Husted will run in 2026, so where does that leave Vivek? All signs point to him announcing soon, possibly as early as next week, that he’ll be looking to replace DeWine in 2026; DeWine is term-limited from running again.
Running for office is a full-time gig, so it would be nigh on impossible to hit the campaign trail while also keeping up with the heavy lift of making DOGE work. This seems to be the prime reason for Ramaswamy dipping out on his DOGE duties, although some might try to paint it as something more dramatic.
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And it makes a ton of sense that, at this moment in time, Vivek would want to capitalize on his high public profile to run for higher office. He has the all-important fundraising machine at the ready, having run for president not that long ago. There couldn’t be a better time for him to make this move.
Ramaswamy has been dropping breadcrumbs about his next move, as this tweet proves.
Thank you @NancyMace! https://t.co/9ymXX8RGel
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 17, 2025
So, this leaves Elon Musk as the big DOGE dog, a position for which he is primed. DOGE, despite being a non-governmental entity, will be housed in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is part of the White House complex and mere steps from the West Wing. This means privileged access to Team Trump, something Musk seems to relish, and speaks to the importance of the job ahead of him.
If Vivek Ramaswamy does announce a run to be Ohio governor, you can bet RedState will be covering it!
RELATED:
Despite His DOGE Duties, Vivek Ramaswamy May Be Looking to Take Another Run for Higher Office
DeWine Leap Frogs Over Odds-On Favorite When Naming JD Vance’s Replacement
Update – 7:05 p.m.:
Ramaswamy has now weighed in on the news himself, via X:
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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
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!
