Was Vivek Ramaswamy Fired From DOGE By Elon Musk? What He Said

Vivek Ramaswamy, who recently stepped down from his role at the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has denied any discord with the tech billionaire. The Indian-American entrepreneur clarified the decision was "mutual", with both pursuing "complementary approaches" - Musk leading on technology and Ramaswamy on legislative matters.

The DOGE initiative, conceptualised by President Donald Trump, aims to streamline federal spending, reduce regulations, and restructure government agencies. While Musk sought to employ technology and data mining, Mr Ramaswamy explored legal pathways to implement changes within the boundaries of constitutional law.

Asked directly if Elon Musk fired him, Mr Ramaswamy told Fox News, "No. We had a mutual discussion. And I think that I wish him well."

"There's no better person to lead a technology-driven approach than Elon Musk," Mr Ramaswamy said. "But what I would say is we had different and complementary approaches. I focused more on a constitutional law legislative-based approach to focus more on a technology approach, which is the future approach."

He added, "When you're talking about a constitutional revival, it's not just done through the federal government. It's done through federalism where states also lead the way."

Dismissing speculation of a fallout with Musk, Mr Ramaswamy described their collaboration as a "divide and conquer" strategy to achieve the shared goal of reforming governance. "This isn't a one-man show. We're on the same page, and I wish him well," he added, praising Musk's leadership.

During the interview, Mr Ramaswamy hinted at his next political move - a gubernatorial bid in his home state of Ohio. "I'm pursuing elected office very shortly. An announcement is coming soon," he said.

Mr Ramaswamy ran unsuccessfully in the Republican presidential primaries before endorsing Donald Trump in January last year.

Despite stepping away from DOGE, Mr Ramaswamy is committed to constitutional governance and federal reform. "It's not just done through the federal government, it's done through federalism where states also lead the way."

Mr Ramaswamy also used the platform to critique the Democratic Party, accusing it of veering away from its core focus on economic issues in favour of "woke" ideologies. He also discussed the importance of meritocracy over DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, which he labelled as exclusionary.

Reflecting on Donald Trump's leadership, the entrepreneur praised his swift actions on immigration, merit-based policies, and dismantling federal bureaucracy.