Trump throws scorned ex-DOGE head Vivek Ramaswamy a political lifeline by backing his run for Ohio governor
President Donald Trump threw his support behind one-time presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to be the next governor of Ohio.
The 39-year-old entrepreneur and short-lived DOGE co-leader officially launched his run for governor of Ohio on Monday.
Trump, 78, immediately threw his name behind the one-time 2024 presidential candidate just hours after he announced the bid.
‘VIVEK RAMASWAMY is running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio. I know him well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL,’ the president wrote in a social media post.
‘Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country. He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!’ he continued.
It comes just weeks after Ramaswamy stepped aside from Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to gear up for a bid within just days of Trump taking office.
His stepping aside came after he clashed with MAGA loyalists online over immigration and reportedly irked billionaire DOGE co-leader Elon Musk behind the scenes.
Vivek Ramaswamy launching his bid for governor of Ohio on Monday in Cincinnati
Ramaswamy responded to the president’s quick endorsement in his how social media post on Monday night.
He wrote that he was ‘truly honored’ to have the endorsement and that he was behind Trump ‘all the way.’
The president backing Ramaswamy is expected to help clear the path for him to pursue the Republican nomination for governor.
Trump carried the state in 2016, 2020 and 2024 as it has shifted from once being a battleground years ago to ruby red.
Republican Governor Jim DeWine is term-limited, so he cannot run in 2026. He tapped his Lt. Governor Jon Husted to fill Vice President JD Vance’s vacant Senate seat, so he’s focused on Washington instead of his own bid for governor.
Other Republican candidates in the race include Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and black entrepreneur Heather Hill.
Ramaswamy endorsing Trump for president after ending his bid in January 2024
Vivek Ramaswamy with his wife Apoorva Ramaswamy after announcing his candidacy for governor
Ramaswamy with Elon Musk on Capitol Hill on December 5, after being tapped to co-lead Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but by January, he was already headed out to prepare to run in Ohio
During his campaign kickoff event on Monday in Cincinnati, Ramaswamy closely aligned himself with Trump who he first ran against for president in 2024 before dropping out and endorsing him.
The biotech entrepreneur vowed during his speech to implement work requirements for Medicaid and merit pay for public school teachers. He also called for abolishing the income tax.
Ramaswamy, the father of two, was born in Ohio to immigrant parents. He went on to launch a pharmaceutical company and later an asset management firm.
He launched a presidential bid in February 2023, but he ended his bid after finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses less than a year later and endorsed Trump.
After Trump won the November election, he named Ramaswamy and Musk to co-lead DOGE.
But he ended up clashing with other Trump loyalists online for supporting H-1B visas to attract foreign skilled workers.
