Did Musk Get Vivek Ramaswamy Out Of Washington?

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC -Vivek Ramaswamy will no longer co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk, the White House confirmed this just hours after Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term.

Ramaswamy’s departure follows mounting tensions between him and Musk, particularly after controversial comments made during a Republican debate in December. While discussing the H-1B skilled workers visa, Ramaswamy suggested that American work culture “venerated mediocrity over excellence,” a statement that reportedly angered Musk’s allies and caused friction within the DOGE leadership. Politico reported that, following the backlash, Musk froze Ramaswamy out, with sources confirming that Ramaswamy had not been involved in any DOGE activities since early December.

CBS News further cited tensions with incoming agency staff and Musk’s associates as contributing to the split.

Lawsuits And Ethics

With Ramaswamy’s exit, Musk now becomes the sole leader of DOGE. However, this consolidation of power has raised concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest, especially given Musk’s business ties to federal contracts. SpaceX, for instance, holds significant defense contracts, and Tesla could stand to benefit from favorable policies under the Trump administration.

Minutes after Trump was inaugurated, four lawsuits were filed, three alleging violations of federal transparency laws. One lawsuit has raised particular concerns about DOGE’s hiring practices, highlighting that none of its 17 members, including Musk and Ramaswamy, are federal employees.