By THEODORE SCHLEIFER and MADELEINE NGO NYTimes News Service
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WASHINGTON — The advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency is losing one of its leaders before it even begins.

Vivek Ramaswamy, whom President Donald Trump named in November as co-leader of the initiative alongside Elon Musk, will quit the project because he plans to run for governor of Ohio.

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“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” said Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the White House, adding, “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!”

Ramaswamy’s position in Trump’s orbit has been tenuous for weeks as he irritated the president, several of Trump’s aides and, crucially, Musk. Musk has been sharply critical of Ramaswamy in private conversations.

Ramaswamy plans to announce his bid for governor of Ohio next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Trump announced the two billionaires to be co-leaders of the project, but it was an unequal partnership from the start. Musk has a much greater amount of wealth and a higher profile, and a top lieutenant of Musk, Steve Davis, largely runs the project.

Some allies of Ramaswamy insisted until recently that he was not immediately leaving his position. Ramaswamy has told others close to him that he would not begin a bid in Ohio until much later in 2025, and so he was working to explore a campaign for governor even as he remained a partner with Musk in the project.

But Ramaswamy recently came to see the idea of co-leading the efficiency effort and running for office at the same time as unworkable, the person familiar with the matter said. The governor’s seat is up for election in November 2026, and officials at the advisory group are expected to offer recommendations for reducing federal spending by July 4, 2026.

The decision came after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would fill the Senate seat being vacated by Vice President JD Vance. Ramaswamy was also a contender for the vacancy, and Trump recently told him that he would be a good fit.

It also followed Ramaswamy’s comments blaming an American culture that venerated “mediocrity over excellence” for top tech companies often hiring foreign-born engineers. People close to Trump said he was unhappy about Ramaswamy wading into the online debate over H-1B visas among conservatives, many of whom saw Ramaswamy’s comments as critical of American workers.

The Department of Government Efficiency is not an official government department, despite its name. In November, Trump said the entity would provide outside advice on how to cut spending and work closely with White House budget officials.

Musk arrived in Washington for Trump’s inauguration and was seen spending time Sunday afternoon at the SpaceX headquarters in downtown Washington, which is where most of Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s team operates. Ramaswamy is also in Washington for Trump’s inauguration.

Ramaswamy had enthusiastically merged his brand with that of the project. He changed his biography on Musk’s social media platform, X, to “small-government crusader” and shared a picture of himself at the beach reading Congressional Budget Office reports on options for reducing the deficit.

In November, Trump initially said that the “Great Elon Musk” would work alongside “American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy” on the project. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” he said at the time.

On Monday morning, Ramaswamy posted a message on X that said “a new dawn,” along with a photo of him and Musk.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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