US President Donald Trump’s newest confidant Elon Musk has ousted Vivek Ramaswamy from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) squad conscionable 69 days aft its inception reportedly implicit increasing displeasure successful Republican circles implicit the Indian-American leader’s comments connected the H1-B visa strategy and American culture. Allies of Ramaswamy, however, person downplayed his exodus pointing astatine his gubernatorial ambitions successful Ohio.
Sources adjacent to Musk, the world’s richest man, maintaining anonymity, told Politico that the disconcerting Tesla CEO wanted Ramaswamy retired implicit the latter’s barrage of tweets criticising the H1-B visa strategy successful the state past period aft Trump’s predetermination win.
Ramaswamy, 39, successful December, had criticised the existent H1-B process again, calling it a “broken lottery system” and likening it to “indentured servitude.”
“I’ve agelong said the existent H-1B strategy is severely breached & needs to beryllium gutted,” Ramaswamy tweeted successful December. He projected replacing the lottery-based strategy with a merit-driven approach, asserting that it should absorption connected selecting the “best of the best.”
I’ve said it countless times successful the past 2 years & volition accidental it again: the H-1B strategy is severely breached & should beryllium replaced with 1 that focuses connected selecting the precise champion of the champion (not a lottery), pro-competitive (no indentured work to 1 company), and de-bureaucratized. https://t.co/8QIhrOQ3mJ
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 27, 2024
The H-1B system, though flawed, provides indispensable safeguards for workers, including just wages and the quality to power employers done visa transfers. His comments besides appeared hypocritical, fixed his ain company’s predominant usage of H-1B visas, having sponsored 29 specified applications.
Sources adjacent to Musk confirmed to Politico that Ramaswamy’s departure had been nether information adjacent earlier his visa-related outburst. He “just burned done the bridges and helium yet burned Elon,” a Republican strategist adjacent to Trump advisers told Politico. “Everyone wants him retired of Mar-a-Lago, retired of DC.”
Ramaswamy’s criticisms of American enactment culture, wherever helium claimed that mediocrity is “venerated implicit excellence,” further alienated him from some Musk and cardinal Republican figures.
“A civilization that celebrates the prom queen implicit the mathematics Olympiad champ, oregon the jock implicit the valedictorian, volition not nutrient the champion engineers,” Ramaswamy had written successful a lengthy post.
“Normalcy doesn’t chopped it successful a hyper-competitive planetary marketplace for method talent. And if we unreal similar it does, we’ll person our asses handed to america by China,” helium added.
The crushed apical tech companies often prosecute foreign-born & first-generation engineers implicit “native” Americans isn’t due to the fact that of an innate American IQ shortage (a lazy & incorrect explanation). A cardinal portion of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions request pugnacious answers & if…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 26, 2024
After his unceremonious exit, Ramaswamy, a erstwhile statesmanlike candidate, present plans to tally for Ohio Governor adjacent week. Musk, present a cardinal fig successful insider authorities and decisions successful DC, deemed it impractical for Ramaswamy to run for bureau portion co-leading the department, a root adjacent to DOGE told Politico.
Trump’s modulation spokesperson Anna Kelly, successful a statement, praised Ramaswamy, saying helium “played a captious relation successful helping america make DOGE” saying his departure was owed to structural requirements tied to his governmental plans.
Despite this, Ramaswamy’s existent engagement with DOGE, announced successful November aft Trump’s predetermination victory, had dwindled since aboriginal December. While helium was inactive claiming helium was actively involved, signing enforcement orders, but a root acquainted with the concern told Politico that Ramaswamy had not done immoderate large enactment astatine DOGE since aboriginal December.
A caller dawn. pic.twitter.com/a3Vthjth69
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 20, 2025
On Trump’s inauguration day, Ramaswamy posted a representation connected X with Musk, shaking hands, and captioned it “a caller dawn”. Sources adjacent to Ramaswamy told Politico that the 2 were connected “good terms” adjacent arsenic his allies scramble to framework his departure arsenic a calculated determination to prosecute the politician bid, which, if helium wins, volition beryllium his archetypal nationalist office.
With DOGE, Trump aims to chopped national spending done Budget reductions and wide layoffs. The Trump 2.0 medication was sued 4 times connected his inauguration time implicit DOGE, with three lawsuits claiming it violates national transparency laws.
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