Ramaswamy Is Headed Back To Ohio, Tail Between His Legs
What we know for sure is that Vivek Ramaswamy is leaving his place as co-head of DOGE to focus on this gubernatorial campaign back in Ohio. The official reason for his departure is the race for governor, though it’s 2 years away. His main primary rivals are Attorney General Dave Yost, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Treasurer Robert Sprague, former Congressman Jim Renacci and former Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor. Potential Democratic contenders include former Congressman Tim Ryan, House Minority leader Allison Russo, former Department of Health director Amy Acton, former Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald and the big gun among the possibilities, Sherrod Brown.
Ramaswamy’s fast exit from DOGE has been accompanied by reports suggesting internal conflicts, mostly tensions between Ramaswamy and the Musk-loyal staff. Supposedly, there was frustration among those close to Musk regarding Ramaswamy's level of involvement and commitment to the tasks at DOGE. Musk, known for his demanding work ethic, is said to have found Ramaswamy's approach and pace not aligning with his expectations. Musk treated him like one of his employees, not like a co-leader. The Musk people have been whispering that Ramaswamy hasn’t been part of the “heavy lifting,” something Musk has repeated to Trump. According to multiple sources, Musk has been undermining Ramaswamy all along and Trump supposedly told his Mar-a-lago crowd that Ramaswamy, who he’s never been that comfortable with to begin with, has “worn out his welcome.”
There are also rumors that Ramaswamy's personality and working style have clashed with Musk's. Ramaswamy is described as abrasive in work environments, similar to Musk but in different ways, leading to tensions. This was particularly noted in discussions around their dynamic in the work environment.
NBC News reported Monday that Ramaswamy’s glad-handing in the race is not off to a great start. Three sources told the broadcaster that he bailed early on the inaugural ball held by Ohio Republicans in Washington on Sunday.
“He can’t bother to spend more than 45 minutes with 1,400 of the most influential Republicans in Ohio,” one state GOP leader told NBC. “It’s next-level arrogance.”
Ramaswamy also ignited frictions within the wider MAGA-verse over the holidays when he dared to offer support for using H-1B visas to attract highly skilled workers to the U.S., which was blasted by nativist first-generation Trump hardliners like Steve Bannon.
Yesterday John McCormick reported that Ramaswamy, who is pissed off that he wasn’t appointed to JD Vance’s Senate set, is expected to announce his bid for governor as soon as next week.
It’s worth noting that Musk’s grandparents were members of the Nazi party in Canada and moved to South Africa to support the Apartheid regime. Maybe that’s who taught him to give the Sieg Heil salute so smartly… and behave the way he does. Whomever taught it to him, neo-Nazis in the MAGA movement loved it. David Gilbert reported reported that American and foreign fascists are celebrating the gesture.
The response from the neo-Nazi community across the globe was instant and unanimous.
“Incredible things are happening already,” Andrew Torba, the founder of Gab, a social media platform popular with antisemites and white supremacists, wrote over a picture of Musk giving the salute.
“The entire neo-Nazi movement seems to be eating it up,” says Nick Martin, an investigative journalist who closely tracks extremist groups and runs the online publication The Informant. “He gave two unmistakable Nazi salutes and they got the message loud and clear.”
“WE ARE FUCKING BACK” the administrator of a Nazi meme channel on Telegram wrote under a clip of Musk giving the salute. Members of the group responded with the lightning bolt emoji, a well-known neo-Nazi reference to the SS.
“I don’t care if this was a mistake, I’m going to enjoy the tears over it,” Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of the American neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, wrote on his Telegram channel under a gif of the Musk salute.
Keith Wood, a prominent far-right influencer from Ireland who has repeatedly praised Musk, responded to the actions by writing on Twitter: “OK maybe woke really is dead.”
Evan Kilgore, a right-wing political commentator, wrote on Twitter: “Holy crap … did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler at the Trump Inauguration Rally in Washington DC… This is incredible.” Kilgore later wrote: “We are so back.”
Kilgore, who is a Holocaust denier, has worked as an ambassador for Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. The conservative activist group hosted a pre-inauguration ball on Sunday evening that featured JD Vance, who was inaugurated as vice-president today, and the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.
Musk has embraced far-right ideology and figures across the globe, including jailed Islamphobic activist Tommy Robinson in the UK, over the last two years. Most recently, he has promoted the German far-right political party Alternative for Germany. In an hour-long interview with the party’s leader Alice Weidel earlier this month, Musk agreed with the wild conspiracy theory that Hitler was a communist.
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