Biotech billionaire, former Republican presidential candidate and Cincinnati-area native Vivek Ramaswamy didn’t always have nice things to say about his new 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 first reported on Wednesday.
“I have no reason to think Elon won’t jump like a circus monkey when Xi Jinping calls in the hour of need,” Ramaswamy said on the May 8, 2023 episode of his podcast.
Jinping is the general secretary of the Communist Party. Ramaswamy was discussing how he sees American business leaders, including Musk, as beholden to China
Evidently, Ramaswamy has warmed to Musk. In a statement sent to The Enquirer and CNN, he said the past comments are “water under the bridge.”
President-elect Donald Trump tapped both of them to head his new advisory commission called the Department of Government Efficiency, also known by its acronym “DOGE.” While it’s still not clear how the DOGE will operate, Trump’s description indicated it will operate as an advisory group and not as a formal federal agency. Ramaswamy and Musk will work together to propose where the incoming administration can cut government spending and departments.
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.”
The Enquirer reached out to Ramaswamy, who sent the same statement he sent to CNN, saying the comments were made before he 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 of 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.
