By Audrey Elwood, Arts and Entertainment Editor

Cinncinati native Vivek Ramaswamy withdrew from his role in the newly appointed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) department on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. 

Ramaswamy grew up in the Cincinnati area, and graduated as valedictorian from St. Xavier High School in 2003. After high school, Ramaswamy went to Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in biology. He was also president of the Harvard political union.

In 2014, Ramaswamy founded Roivant Technologies, a firm that purchased patents for developing drugs and brought them to the market. Ramaswamy also cofounded Strive Asset Management, based in Columbus Ohio, which prides itself on being an “Anti-ESG” and “Anti-Woke” alternative to traditional asset management. In 2023, Ramaswamy stepped away from both of these ventures to focus on his presidential campaign.

DOGE is a newly-created department, focusing on cutting unnecessary spending within the government. Appointed by the Trump administration, the inaugural leaders were Ramaswamy and tech billionaire, Elon Musk. DOGE was not created by Congress, therefore it operates outside of the traditional governmental agencies. Selecting billionaires and businessmen, largely from technology backgrounds, to lead DOGE on a rolling six-month basis

“He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last half month and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the transitional Trump administration, said on Ramaswamy’s departure.

Current Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine is currently serving his last available term. Ramaswamy was a contender for the vacant Senate seat left by fellow Cincinnatian, JD Vance. Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted was selected instead. Attorney General Dave Yost and State Treasurer Robert Sprague are seen as the top contenders for the position of Governor and are predicted to announce their candidacy next week. 

Ramaswamy has not officially stated that he is running for governor yet, nor has his replacement in the DOGE office has not been announced yet.