Vivek Ramaswamy Is Out of the Trump Administration After Claiming American Workers Have a ‘Culture’ Problem

Vivek Ramaswamy arrives for the inauguration of President Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (Kenny Holston – Pool / Getty Images)
WESTERN JOURNAL | Published January 21, 2025

The second administration of President Donald Trump only started on Monday, but there is already one high-profile exit from the commander-in-chief’s team.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the pharmaceutical entrepreneur who ran for the Republican presidential nomination, was initially supposed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk, but now he is officially out of the project.

That development occurrs as Ramaswamy considers his own run for office, but also after his comments about American culture raised eyebrows among much of the Trump base.

“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” agency representative Anna Kelly said in a statement on Monday to the Associated Press.

“He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today,” Kelly added.

“We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last two months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.”

The ouster of Ramaswamy, who lives in Ohio, came days after Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he would appoint Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to take the United States Senate seat vacated by now-Vice President J.D. Vance.

Some speculated that Ramaswamy was a contender for the appointment. But he now intends to succeed DeWine in the 2026 gubernatorial race in Ohio, for which DeWine will be term-limited, according to NBC News.

But some have wondered whether a recent controversy over legal immigration, for which Ramaswamy was at the center of the fray, played a role in his ouster from DOGE.

Amid a debate between leading Republican influencers over the H-1B visa program, which arguably imports tech workers from around the world to work at rates lower than what could sustain many middle-class American households, Ramaswamy mounted a blistering criticism of American culture.

“Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH: Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer),” Ramaswamy wrote on X just after Christmas.

“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers,” he added.

Ramaswamy even argued that American families should have “fewer sleepovers” and “more weekend science competitions,” claiming that American parents wrongly view parents who push their children toward academic achievement with skepticism.

“If you grow up aspiring to normalcy, normalcy is what you will achieve,” he continued. “Now close your eyes & visualize which families you knew in the 90s (or even now) who raise their kids according to one model versus the other. Be brutally honest.”

There is definitely an element of truth in this argument from Ramaswamy. There is certainly a cultural decline in America with respect to academics and education, and parents should push their children toward greater excellence.

But that does not need to come at the expense of having a normal childhood, and most certainly does not necessitate mimicking the cultures of Asian countries which may be more academically rigorous, but which are also notoriously miserable and which struggle to match the same sort of creativity, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship that make the American economy special.

The new Trump administration did say that Ramaswamy abruptly left DOGE because of his run for office while not mentioning his recent comments.

But the Trump base is by no means pleased with Ramaswamy, and his political future has never been more uncertain.

 

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SOURCE: www.westernjournal.com

RELATED: Ramaswamy forced out of DOGE by Musk after calling US workers ‘mediocre,’ report says

Entrepreneur is now expected to launch a gubernatorial campaign in his home state of Ohio

Ramaswamy walks alongside Musk and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson as they arrive for Trump’s inauguration. The former presidential candidate will no longer lead DOGE as he reportedly prepares to run for Ohio governor (AP)
THE INDEPENDENT | Published January 21, 2025

Biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will no longer co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk.

DOGE, which was announced by Trump soon after his electoral victory in November, is designed to slash federal spending through budget cuts and mass firings. The White House confirmed Ramaswamy’s departure as co-chair to the Associated Press just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term. This announcement comes after several news outlets published reports late last week indicating Ramaswamy would leave his role.

Ramaswamy was forced out after claiming American work culture “venerated mediocrity over excellence” in a social media post last month during the debate on the H-1B skilled workers visa among RepublicansPolitico reports. While Musk and Ramaswamy have both voiced support for the program, Politico reports the billionaire iced his co-chair out soon after the post angered allies.

One source told the outlet Ramaswamy also had not done any work for DOGE since early December.

“They wanted him out before the tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out,” an unnamed source familiar with DOGE’s internal dynamics told Politico.

Ramaswamy had “burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon,” before his departure, an unnamed Republican strategist told Politico. “Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.”

CBS News also reported Sunday the change in leadership comes after friction between Ramaswamy and incoming agency staff. Those close to Musk have also undercut Ramaswamy in recent weeks and are frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting they must do, according to the outlet.

Meanwhile, spokesperson Anna Kelly told the AP Ramaswamy “played a critical role” in helping create DOGE.

 

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SOURCE: www.independent.co.uk

 

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