After Donald Trump's election victory in November, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk were named as co-heads of a vaguely-defined "Department of Government Efficiency" charged with reducing the cost of running the country. If the inefficiency of having two unelected corporate cronies in this position was obvious, that problem has already been addressed: Ramaswamy is out, having "worn out his welcome."
Ramaswamy, 39, had no comment.
People close to Musk have privately undercut Ramaswamy for weeks, frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting, according to sources familiar with the internal dynamics. There has been friction between the incoming rank and file DOGE staff and Ramaswamy, the sources said, and Ramaswamy has been subtly encouraged to exit.
"Vivek has worn out his welcome," one person close to Trump said.
Ramaswamy's public profile evaporated after he issued insulting remarks about Americans as part of a peculiar ramble about, among other things, 1990s sitcoms. Musk likewise antagonized Trump's supporters by backing the immigration programs that wealthy entrepreneurs love, but whereas Musk financed the president-elect's campaign, Ramaswamy opposed it until his own primary defeat.
In Trump's first term, the short tenure of Anthony Scaramucci in his White House role gave rise to the use of his name as a unit of measurement equal to 11 days. With Vivek out before the inauguration, perhaps a Vivek is "-1", or, given the vaporous quality of his "department", a more approachable reference to NaN.
Previously:
• How Vivek Ramaswamy cashed in while shareholders lost millions
• Trump gives Elon and Vivek jobs in a made-up organization
• Vivek Ramaswamy reminds me of Hollywood snake oil salespeople
• Ramaswamy's nomination papers signed by dead people