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Indian American entrepreneur-turned-politician Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday announced that he is leaving the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as he plans to prepare to run for the Governor of Ohio.
It was my honour to help support the creation of DOGE. I'm confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining the government, Ramaswamy, 39, said in a post on X.
Soon after his stunning victory in the November 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump announced to create DOGE and tasked Tesla owner Elon Musk and Ramaswamy to head this new agency.
"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!" Ramaswamy said within hours of Trump being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States Monday noon.
The White House appreciated the role of Ramaswamy in the creation of DOGE.
"Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE. He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today," Anna Kelly, a spokesperson of the Trump Team, told PTI.
"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," Kelly said.
Ramaswamy is still mulling on the exact date to formally announce his Ohio Governor run, which is slated to be in 2026.
If elected, he would be the first Indian American Governor of Ohio. So far only three Indian Americans have been elected as a governor of a US State. The first was by Bobby Jindal in Louisiana, followed by Nikki Haley in South Carolina. Both of them are from the Republican party.
His announcement for Ohio governor can come as early as next week. The Indian American had an unsuccessful run during the Republican presidential primary. Later he endorsed Trump and quickly emerged as his close confidant.
-- By Lalit K Jha from Washington, DC