In recent weeks, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly pressured Vivek Ramaswamy to accept Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Ohio Senate seat if it was offered to him.
Ramaswamy previously withdrew from consideration for the seat after Trump named him to co-lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency effort alongside Elon Musk.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) will appoint Vance’s replacement, who will serve until the midterm elections in November 2026, when a permanent senator will be chosen to serve until January 2029.
The Washington Post reported that Trump wanted Ramaswamy to take the seat, citing “two people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private deliberations.” The Post provided some important context, noting:
While the decision rests with DeWine, Trump has personally appealed to Ramaswamy to accept the appointment if offered, the people said. That last-minute message was conveyed within the past week. Ramaswamy has long planned to run for governor of Ohio in 2026, after completing his work with DOGE, which is supposed to wrap up operations by July 4, 2026.
It’s unclear how the appointment would affect Ramaswamy’s leadership of DOGE, which is not an official government body. But some of his allies have argued that it would advance the group’s legislative goals by giving him a perch in Congress. Musk and Ramaswamy hope to push for significant spending cuts, an effort that will require the cooperation of lawmakers to be successful.
In recent weeks, Ramaswamy sparked a fierce debate on the MAGA right when he slammed US culture for producing “mediocrity” in the American workforce and advocated for the importation of highly skilled labour.
Musk and Trump eventually sided with Ramaswamy, who faced harsh criticism from the Trump base for his comments.
