Biotech billionaire, former Republican presidential candidate and Cincinnati-area native Vivek Ramaswamy didn’t always have nice things to say about his new cost-cutting co-worker, Elon Musk.
In fact, Ramaswamy in May 2023 compared Musk, his co-director for the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, to a “circus monkey” for China, CNN reported Wednesday.
Jinping rules China as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Ramaswamy was discussing how he sees American business leaders, including Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, as beholden to China.
Evidently, Ramaswamy has warmed to Musk. In a statement sent to The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, and CNN, he said the past comments are “water under the bridge.”
The pair were meeting with Congressional Repblicans on Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon.
More:Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy may be exempt from ethics rules as Trump’s advisors
What is the DOGE?
President-elect Donald Trump tapped both to head his new advisory commission called the Department of Government Efficiency, known by the acronym “DOGE.” While it’s still not clear how the DOGE will operate, Trump’s description indicated Ramaswamy and Musk will work together to propose where the incoming administration can cut government spending, regulations, and departments.
Why are the comments coming to light?
CNN’s KFile investigative team looked at Ramaswamy’s past comments on Musk to gauge how the two might work together. In addition to the aforementioned podcast, Ramaswamy told a Fox News podcast in 2022 that Musk changes his politics “based on the favors that he gets to be able to do business in China.”
Ramaswamy said his caustic comments came before he’d met Musk. They now know each other well, Ramaswamy said.
“I love him and respect the hell out of him, and I’m proud to call him a friend,” Ramaswamy said in the statement. “The only country he puts first is the same one I do: the United States of America.”
Ramaswamy grew up in Evendale, a suburban village just outside Cincinnati, and graduated from St. Xavier High School as valedictorian in 2003 before making millions founding a pharmaceutical company and asset management firm. He later sought the Republican nomination for president in 2024 before dropping out and endorsing Trump.
