In Ramaswamy’s exit from DOGE, there’s behind-the-scenes Musk, Republicans links 

On November 13, just days after Donald Trump confirmed his return as President of the United States, the Republican named “great” Elon Musk and “American patriot” Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean up the federal bureaucracy. Musk and Ramaswamy, in co-leadership roles, were expected to work from outside the government to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”

On January 21, shortly after Trump took oath as President of the United States, a revamped DOGE came into existence. But this time, there were no co-leaders. Ramaswamy had announced his departure, leaving Elon Musk as the sole leader of the agency.

DOGE, which had generated buzz as soon as it was conceptualised and was facing imminent lawsuits, got tongues wagging again over speculation of Ramaswamy being sidelined and eventually bulldozed out of the way by Musk.

The public announcement by Ramaswamy signalled his plans to run for the governor of Ohio. But privately, experts and sources familiar with the developments highlighted the glaring differences in Musk and Ramaswamy’s approach to how the agency should be run. And the eventual, quiet exit of Ramaswamy.

DOGE AND REVAMPED DOGE

At its conceptualisation, the DOGE, co-led by Musk and Ramaswamy, was tasked with cutting federal spending, slashing excess regulations, and restructuring federal agencies. The department was expected to operate outside the federal government, providing “advice and guidance from outside of government”, Donald Trump had said in November.

Musk and Ramaswamy went on to outline bold goals, including cutting $2 trillion from federal expenditures and reducing the number of federal agencies from 428 to 99. Ramaswamy proposed eliminating 1.5 million federal jobs—75% of the civilian workforce.

But the executive order signed by President Trump, aiming to formalise the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the too-bold goals seem to have been trimmed. Reports indicate that DOGE is exploring controversial measures, such as nullifying the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and restructuring it alongside the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Musk has also proposed eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a move that experts have heavily criticised.

But the announcement was also curtains down for Ramaswamy. In a tweet, Ramaswamy said it an “honour to help support the creation of DOGE” as showed himself the way out.

Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump government is all too clear for everyone to see. The revamped DOGE, with the Tesla CEO in the sole leader role, grants Musk more power and control over federal operations, with the White House’s approval, of course.

When it was a Musk-Ramaswamy team, the vision for DOGE was “three major kinds of reform: regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions and cost savings”, a report by the Washington Report mentioned. However, Trump’s Monday order reflected Musk’s vision for the agency, with a focus on technology and an effort to change the government from within.

It is Musk’s vision that is leading the DOGE now.

MUSK VS RAMASWAMY

At the onset, there was a clear understanding: Musk would focus on technology and spending, while Ramaswamy would focus on regulations and the administrative state. Their goals remained the same– revamping government– but their strategies clashed.

Ramaswamy’s approach looked for ways to make major changes in government, but all within the scope of law. Ramaswamy approached DOGE from a constitutional perspective, exploring which agencies could be shut down without requiring congressional action, taking aim at the budgeting process within different agencies and examining legal pathways to strip regulations, Washington Post report mentioned.

But Elon Musk’s vision had technology at the forefront and his ambition, including using technology and data-mining to achieve DOGE’s aims, the report quoted an individual familiar with the group.

The billionaire, who has vast resources at his disposal, did not shy away from using them to full advantage. He established a command centre at SpaceX’s Washington offices and put resources into achieving the Trump government’s goals.

On the other hand, Ramaswamy, who had failed in his presidential bid, worked with those who had helped him during his campaign. He put to use their political expertise and operational knowledge to draft the blueprint for the overhaul.

Ramaswamy toiled hard, but quietly. While Musk was vocal and visible and his X was his virtual megaphone.

RAMASWAMY VS REPUBLICANS

But before Ramaswamy could solidify his position among MAGA circles, a social media post landed him in hot waters with the Conservatives. Vivek Ramaswamy’s critique of the “woke” culture, his advocacy for national sovereignty, was lauded. But in December came Ramaswamy’s cultural critique of how Americans raise their children.

Ramaswamy argued that top tech companies hire foreign-born engineers not due to any inherent IQ deficit among Americans, but because of a cultural gap that prioritises mediocrity over excellence. He blamed American parenting practices and pop culture for fostering complacency, contrasting this with the disciplined upbringing of immigrant families.

The tweet ruffled a lot of feathers and influential MAGA officials were irked by Ramaswamy’s critique.

The MAGA supporters were not too happy with Ramaswamy, while Musk looked disinclined to share leadership role within DOGE.

As per the Washington Post report, Musk’s goals became more and incompatible with Ramaswamy’s vision. And in between all this, Trump dangled the Ohio governor post.

“They’ve been wanting Vivek to step aside so Elon could have more control,” an individual close to the development was quoted as saying by The Washington Post. “There was tension, and then they had an out and kind of took the out.”

The report further mentioned that the draft executive order on DOGE aligned more with Musk’s decisions, while suggestions put forth by Ramaswamy’s team were ignored.

It remains to be seen how the DOGE would take shape, whether the drastic measures envisioned could see the light of the day. The legal battle to the agency would be another thing that could dampen Musk’s ambitious plans.