Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has decided to exit the Department of Government Efficiency just months after being appointed as co-leader.
Ramaswamy’s decision to exit DOGE was announced hours after President Donald Trump officially began his second term in office, leaving Elon Musk as the sole leader of the cost-cutting advisory group.
In a Jan. 21 X post, the 39-year-old entrepreneur said he was honored to support the creation of DOGE, expressing confidence in Musk and the team’s ability to “succeed in streamlining government.”
Without elaborating on his future plans, Ramaswamy said he would have “more to say very soon” about his future plans, particularly in Ohio, while reaffirming his commitment to helping President Trump “make America great again.”
According to people familiar with the matter, Ramaswamy, who is an Ohio native, is preparing to announce his candidacy for Ohio governor, with reports indicating he sees this as the next step in his political career.
If elected, he would succeed Governor Mike DeWine, whose second and final term is set to end in January 2027 due to term limits. The Ohio gubernatorial election is scheduled for November 2026.
Anna Kelly, an official from DOGE, confirmed Ramaswamy’s plans to “run for elected office” in comments to the Associated Press. According to Kelly, this required him to step away from the organization due to its “structure,” which prohibits active members from pursuing political campaigns.
The development follows reports of growing tensions between Ramaswamy and Musk, with sources citing an X post by Ramaswamy in December criticizing American culture as a tipping point for the Tesla CEO.
Musk reportedly viewed Ramaswamy’s dual focus on DOGE and his political ambitions as untenable. Insiders described the situation as a culmination of “burned bridges” within Trump’s circle, hastening his departure from the advisory group.
Amid this backdrop, DOGE has come under fire for revising the ambitious budget-cutting goals it set at its inception.
Initially touted as a game-changing advisory group capable of slashing $2 trillion from the federal budget, the organization has faced skepticism after Musk suggested a more modest $1 trillion target as a realistic outcome.
As previously reported by crypto.news, critics, including tech journalist Kara Swisher, have cited DOGE’s lack of real authority to enforce budget cuts as a key limitation, questioning its ability to achieve meaningful results.
