Elon Musk wanted Vivek Ramaswamy out of DOGE due H-1B visa ‘differences’; Tesla CEO's clout surges in Trump 2.0: Report

Indian-origin Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy pulled out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – envisaged by US president Donald Trump to trim the administration –  due to differences with Elon Musk over H-1B visas, a report has suggested, indicating the growing clout of the Tesla CEO in the new US dispensation. 

Hours after Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th US President, Ramaswamy announced he would not co-head DOGE with Elon Musk – both handpicked by the US President.  Elon Musk wanted Ramaswamy – expected to run for the Ohio governor's post next – 'out' of DOGE over the 39-year-old entrepreneur's recent remarks on X regarding H-1B visas, a report in the Politico said.

Ramaswamy's comments on X during a discussion of H-1B visas were one of 'main reasons' for some Republicans getting frustrated with him, the Politico report said.

"Venerated mediocrity over excellence”

Ramaswamy had argued in the long post on X, owned by Elon Musk, that American companies prioritised foreign-born engineers over native Americans due to a cultural veneration of mediocrity over excellence.

The now-viral post sparked widespread debate and garnered over 118 million views and 51,000 comments.

"They wanted him out before the tweet – but kicked him to the curb when that came out," one of the three people familiar with his departure, told the Politico.

Run for Ohio Governor

Ramaswamy is planning to announce a run for Ohio Governor next week, Politico reported. A person close to DOGE said Musk did not think it was feasible for him to campaign for office while working on DOGE.

Musk had made it clear that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE, and the departure is seen as a testament to Musk's influence in the incoming administration, the Politico reported

Ramaswamy "just burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon," said a Republican strategist close to Trump advisers. "Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of DC," the strategist told the Politico. 

Mar-a-Lago is a luxury resort club in Palm Beach, Florida owned by Donald Trump.

Ramaswamy maintained to confidants as late as Saturday evening that he was actively involved in DOGE, saying he was at work writing executive orders, the report said. However, a person familiar with the arrangement informed that he had done almost no DOGE-related work since early December.

Last week, he was hoping to achieve some significant milestones before leaving to run for governor. Now, Ramaswamy and his team are trying to present his exit in a positive light, especially since it's happening as Trump begins his term.

Ramaswamy has chosen not to comment on the rumoured tensions between him and Musk.

A person familiar with Ramaswamy's thinking said they are now on good terms and that "the reality is that it wasn't possible" to run for governor and co-lead DOGE “both at once.”

Ramaswamy attended US President Donald Trump's inauguration, where he spoke to Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff. On Monday morning, Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself with Musk shaking hands. "A new dawn," he wrote.

But he was already on his way out. That same day, a person close to Ramaswamy who was granted anonymity to speak freely confirmed Ramaswamy was leaving, the Politico report stated.

(With ANI inputs)