Musk Takes Over as Sole Leader of DOGE as Ramaswamy Exits for Ohio Governor Bid

Elon Musk is now the only chief of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) after biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy stepped all the way down to pursue a gubernatorial marketing campaign in Ohio, officers mentioned Monday.

Ramaswamy co-founded DOGE with Musk in November 2024 as a part of President Donald Trump’s “Save America” initiative to chop authorities waste, scale back rules, and restructure federal businesses. 

His departure leaves Musk, a vocal advocate for cost-cutting, on the helm of the extra-governmental initiative.

“Vivek Ramaswamy performed a important function in serving to us create DOGE,” spokesperson Anna Kelly mentioned in an announcement cited by the Associated Press. “He intends to run for elected workplace quickly, which requires him to stay exterior of DOGE, based mostly on the construction that we introduced at this time.”

DOGE’s acronym has drawn widespread consideration as a result of its reference to Dogecoin (DOGE), the meme crypto that Musk has championed for years. 

Generally known as the “Dogefather,” Musk’s public endorsements of Dogecoin have repeatedly prompted value surges, together with a current uptick following his promotion to guide DOGE late final 12 months.

Critics, nonetheless, have expressed skepticism about DOGE’s targets. Initially promising $2 trillion in authorities cuts, Musk lately backtracked, describing the objective as unlikely however sustaining a goal of $1 trillion.

Including to the initiative’s momentum, Trump issued an executive order on Monday, halting the hiring of federal civilian workers throughout the chief department. 

The order, a part of a broader plan to streamline authorities operations, tasked the Workplace of Administration and Price range with growing a plan to cut back the federal workforce by means of effectivity measures and attrition. DOGE is predicted to play a key function in shaping these suggestions.

Not like official federal departments, DOGE operates exterior authorities channels, counting on private-sector consultants and Republican allies in Congress to push its proposals. 

Musk and Ramaswamy’s partnership drew consideration for its Silicon Valley ties, together with advisors like Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and enterprise capitalist Marc Andreessen.

The initiative’s connection to Musk’s Dogecoin fandom has additionally prompted a stir amongst crypto circles.

A Trump marketing campaign shirt that includes Musk, Trump, and a Shiba Inu canine on the marketing campaign path added to the playful but controversial overlap between DOGE and crypto meme tradition.