Vivek Ramaswamy once compared DOGE co-chair Elon Musk to a ‘circus monkey’

Vivek Ramaswamy erstwhile compared Elon Musk to a “circus monkey” anxious to bash China’s bidding earlier President-elect Trump tapped the 2 men to co-lead his projected Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“I deliberation Tesla is progressively beholden to China,” Ramaswamy said successful a 2023 podcast interview. “I person nary crushed to deliberation Elon won’t leap similar a circus monkey erstwhile [Chinese president] Xi Jinping calls successful the hr of need.”

Tesla — Musk’s electrical car institution — depends heavy connected its Shanghai artillery mill for planetary car production.

Ramaswamy besides reportedly accused Musk of a “willingness to alteration his governmental tunes” to pacify Chinese officials successful a 2022 podcast.

Though Musk calls himself a champion for escaped code connected societal media, Ramaswamy pointed retired the irony of his narration with Chinese officials, who don’t stock those values.

CNN unearthed galore unflattering comments Ramaswamy made astir his caller spouse successful the past mates years and they weren’t each successful regards to China.

In a 2022 Fox News podcast, helium suggested Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX, had nationalist backing and authorities contracts to convey for making Musk the world’s richest man. That remark successful peculiar could beryllium utilized by critics to question Musk’s extremity to cut $2 trillion successful authorities spending nether the Trump administration.

Ramaswamy told CNN helium made his derogatory comments astir Musk earlier the brace met and present feels differently.

“I emotion him and respect the hellhole retired of him, and I’m arrogant to telephone him a friend,” Ramaswamy told the outlet. “The lone state helium puts archetypal is the aforesaid 1 I do: the United States of America.”