'Kicked him to the curb': How Elon Musk forced Vivek Ramaswamy out of DOGE

21 January

Originally, Donald Trump had two people in mind to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory board he has proposed: Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and MAGA businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran in the 2024 GOP presidential primary but gave Trump an enthusiastic endorsement after dropping out of the race.

But according to Politico reporters Adam Wren and Holly Otterbein, the 39-year-old Ramaswamy won't be part of DOGE after all — and was, sources say, pushed out in part because of Musk.

"Musk, the tech tycoon and Donald Trump confidant, made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days, according to three people familiar with Musk's preferences who, like others for this article, were granted anonymity to discuss them," Wren and Otterbein explain in an article published after Trump's return to the White House. "An ill-received holiday rant on X by Ramaswamy about H-1B visas apparently hastened his demise."

A GOP strategist told Politico that Ramaswamy "just burned through the bridges, and he finally burned Elon." The strategist added, "Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C."

Cincinnati native Ramaswamy, according to Politico sources, now plans to run for governor of Ohio — a position presently held by conservative Republican Mike DeWine.

Wren and Otterbein report, "One main reason for some Republicans' frustration with Ramaswamy was a post he made on X during a discussion of H-1B visas. In late December, Ramaswamy criticized American culture, saying that tech companies hire foreign workers in part because of a mindset in the country that has 'venerated mediocrity over excellence.'"

According to one of Politico's GOP sources, "They wanted him out before the tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out."

Read the full Politico article at this link.

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