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Vivek Ramaswamy has stepped down from co-leading President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to the Associated Press. The official line as to why Ramaswamy is moving on is that he plans to run for elected office — he reportedly intends to run for Ohio governor.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” spokesperson Anna Kelly says in the statement to the Associated Press. “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.”
Trump gave DOGE, which is not a department of the US government, the remit to advise cuts to “wasteful” government spending. Musk and Ramaswamy spelled out their plans in a Wall Street Journal article. But CBS News reported yesterday that Ramaswamy was on the way out:
People close to Musk have privately undercut Ramaswamy for weeks, frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting, according to sources familiar with the internal dynamics. There has been friction between the incoming rank and file DOGE staff and Ramaswamy, the sources said, and Ramaswamy has been subtly encouraged to exit.
Ramaswamy hasn’t said on X if he’s stepping away from DOGE, but he did post a picture today with Musk. A few days ago, he also quote-tweeted a parody account that “announced” Ramaswamy’s candidacy for Ohio governor, saying that it’s “not a bad idea.”
DOGE is already the subject of at least three lawsuits.