Last year saw President Donald Trump task billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with setting up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

However, Ramaswamy announced on Trump's first day in office that he is stepping back from the project. 

Trump team praises Ramaswamy for "helping us create DOGE"

According to News Nation, Ramaswamy's departure was confirmed in a statement put out on Monday by Trump-Vance transition team spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

Kelly offered praise for the departing venture capitalist, noting how Ramaswamy had "played a critical role in helping us create DOGE."

"He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today," she continued.

"We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again," the spokesperson went on to stress.

Ramaswamy: "I'll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio"

For his part, the outgoing DOGE co-founder was quick to verify Kelly's remarks with a post to Musk's X social media platform.

It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/f1YFZm8X13

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 20, 2025

Ramaswamy explained that it was his honor to have played a role in DOGE's creation and expressed confidence in Musk's ability to reduce the size of government.

He concluded by saying, "I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!"

Sources say Ramaswamy will announce his candidacy "shortly"

Although Ramaswamy did not specify exactly what his plans in Ohio are, an article published by The Hill last week  cited sources as saying that he is expected to run for governor there.

The website pointed out how current Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine was first elected in 2018 and is legally barred from seeking a third term in office.

What's more, Fox News recently spoke with an Ohio Republican political operative who offered further insight on Ramaswamy's plans.

"Vivek’s base plan remains [the] same: to get accomplishments at DOGE and then announce a run for governor shortly," the political operative was quoted as saying.