Vivek Ramaswamy will not be part of a commission on federal spending that he was picked by President Donald Trump to lead alongside MAGA billionaire Elon Musk.
A spokesperson for the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, confirmed that the businessman was no longer involved just hours after Trump was inaugurated Monday.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” Anna Kelly told 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.”
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The statement on the first day of the Trump administration all but confirmed reports that Cincinnati-born Ramaswamy is set to announce a bid for governor in his home state of Ohio by the end of the month.
Last week, Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike Dewine, who is term limited and ineligible to seek reelection in 2026, announced he was appointing his lieutenant governor Jon Husted to fill the vacancy in the U.S. Senate left by the resignation of Vice President JD Vance.
In doing so, DeWine removed one major competitor who could have stood in Ramaswamy’s way in a primary. Husted was planning his own bid for the state’s highest office, the Cleveland Signal reported, but DeWine elevated him to the Senate with the impression that he would seek reelection to the upper chamber in Washington.
Trump and his team had reportedly encouraged Ramaswamy to consider accepting an appointment to the Senate seat, but he was adamant that his political ambitions are trained on the governor’s mansion in suburban Columbus.
NBC News reported Monday that Ramaswamy’s glad-handing in the race is not off to a great start. Three sources told the broadcaster that he bailed early on the inaugural ball held by Ohio Republicans in Washington on Sunday.
“He can’t bother to spend more than 45 minutes with 1,400 of the most influential Republicans in Ohio,” one state GOP leader told NBC. “It’s next-level arrogance.”
Ramaswamy also ignited frictions within the wider MAGA-verse over the holidays when he dared to offer support for using H-1B visas to attract highly skilled workers to the U.S., which was blasted by nativist first-generation Trump hardliners like Steve Bannon.
By opting to pursue a gubernatorial bid, Ramaswamy will give up his responsibilities at DOGE, where he was set to focus on deregulation, Politico reported.
The commission is tasked with finding as much as $2 trillion in cuts to federal spending by July 4, 2026, though Ramaswamy’s erstwhile DOGE partner Musk has already begun to soften expectations.
