‘Outspoken’ Vivek May Have Caused DOGE Divorce by Annoying Trump’s Favorite: Musk
The DOGE divorce with Vivek Ramaswamy came about partly due to the fact that the biotech entrepreneur’s co-star Elon Musk thought he was too “outspoken,” according to people familiar with the split who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive, among others in President Donald Trump’s inner circle, were reportedly irked by Ramaswamy’s general tenacity in his views.
“There were always going to be tensions between two CEOs who have built successful companies,” a person familiar with Department of Government Efficiency inner workings told the WSJ. “Everyone saw the writing on the wall.”
And that writing became clearer as Ramaswamy’s ideals for the DOGE mission came into friction with those of the more “senior” Musk, so-called because he has Trump’s ear.
Whittling away at what he saw as overly restrictive regulations and bureaucracy were Ramaswamy’s main charge, whereas Musk saw spending cuts as the most important aspect of the new organization.
A person familiar with the saga said that Ramaswamy chose to walk away from the cause he championed as the “mandate narrowed and shifted.”
He also thought that the organization needed to act independently of the federal government as an outside entity, but Trump’s Day One executive order brought DOGE into the fold officially.
“Elon was for it, Vivek was against it. I don’t think it spoke to the original mission, the vision for DOGE, as articulated by Trump two months ago,” the person said.
On Monday, Trump said Musk and his team will have office space for 20 or so people. His executive order also states that Musk will report to the White House chief of staff, “Ice Maiden” Susie Wiles—who recently said she doesn’t want any “stars” on the West Wing.
One WSJ source said Trump’s executive order “surprised a lot of people,” not least because it is reportedly only a two-week-old idea.
It comes as Cincinnati-born Ramaswamy is set to announce a bid for governor in his home state of Ohio by the end of the month. A spokesperson for DOGE all but confirmed this after Ramaswamy threw in the towel.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” Anna Kelly told the Associated Press Monday. “He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today.”