FRENEMIES

Elon Knifed DOGE Rival in First War of Trump 2.0

Vivek Ramaswamy’s support for H-1B visas was reportedly one of the reasons “everyone” wanted him out.

Vivek Ramaswamy was reportedly booted out from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seat by his co-captain, Elon Musk.

On Monday, Ramaswamy confirmed his departure from DOGE after whispers of the 39-year-old’s exit murmured throughout D.C. over the weekend. “It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. “I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!”

Along with reporting that he’s exiting from DOGE to run for Ohio governor, Politico reports that Musk is the reason Ramaswamy is leaving to begin with.

Musk made his feelings about Ramaswamy clear in recent days while his rant on H-1B visas over the holidays sealed his fate, according to three sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Politico on the condition of anonymity.

At the time, Ramaswamy defended H-1Bs, which offer visas to the United States for skilled workers, by going on a convoluted tirade criticizing “American culture” for venerating “mediocrity over excellence,” while arguing that a “culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ” will “not produce the best engineers.”

Ramaswamy “just burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon” a Republican strategist close to President Donald Trump’s advisers said. “Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.,” they continued.

Another source told Politico that “they wanted [Ramaswamy] out before the [H-1B] tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out.”

In a statement to Politico, Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly applauded Ramaswamy’s work in DOGE, adding that he “played a critical role in helping us create DOGE” and that his plan in Ohio “requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today.” Ramaswamy declined Politico’s request for comment on his reported tensions with Musk.

On Monday, Ramaswamy posted a photo with Musk on social media where they could be seen shaking hands. “A new dawn,” he wrote alongside an emoji of the American flag.

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Yasmeen HamadehNight News Reporter

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