Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur turned political firebrand, is once again in the spotlight—this time as a candidate for Ohio governor. It’s his third attempt at securing a high-profile political role in just over a year, following his failed 2024 presidential bid and a behind-the-scenes push for an appointment to JD Vance’s vacant Senate seat. But as he steps into this new battle, his campaign carries a notable omission: his controversial and short-lived tenure as co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk in the second Trump administration.
Ramaswamy, who built his brand on anti-woke capitalism and self-made success, now faces a different kind of scrutiny—one that extends beyond policy and into the unspoken undercurrents of identity politics in the MAGA movement. He is walking a tightrope, endorsed by Trump yet simultaneously the subject of an unease within certain corners of the MAGA ecosystem that have never fully embraced his unapologetically Hindu identity. And as recent events show, his Indian-American heritage remains a point of contention for some within the movement.
The DOGE Fiasco: A Power Struggle with Musk?
It’s telling that Ramaswamy, usually one to boast about his accomplishments, avoided mentioning DOGE in his campaign launch speech. For someone who thrives on projecting success, sidestepping his high-profile appointment in the Trump administration signals something deeper. His stint at DOGE lasted just 69 days—hardly enough time to deliver any major victories but certainly long enough for tensions with Musk to boil over.
The friction between the two men reportedly stemmed from both ideological and managerial differences. Musk, who has taken a radical approach to government restructuring, allegedly grew frustrated with Ramaswamy’s preference for gradual, strategic cuts over the sweeping, immediate reductions Musk envisioned. There was also Ramaswamy’s controversial stance on the American workforce—his criticism of American work culture as fostering “mediocrity” clashed with MAGA’s base which took great offence to his tweet.
His exit from DOGE was met with little fanfare, and in the wake of his departure, the program continued without him, solidifying Musk’s dominance within the initiative. Now, as he attempts to pivot to the Ohio governorship, Ramaswamy must deal with an inconvenient narrative: he was part of a high-profile government reform project, but instead of transforming it, he left under unclear circumstances.
The MAGA Litmus Test: Race, Religion, and the Shadow of Nativism
MAGA has long prided itself on being a broad movement, welcoming those who align with its policies regardless of background. At least, that’s the official line. The reality, however, is far more complicated, especially for Indian-American figures like Ramaswamy, Sriram Krishnan, Kash Patel, and Usha Vance, all of whom have faced varying degrees of resistance from the movement’s nativist wing.
The Vivek Dilemma: Too MAGA for the Left, Too Indian for the Right?
Ramaswamy has positioned himself as a staunch MAGA conservative, railing against woke ideology, championing deregulation, and touting his allegiance to Trump. But despite this, his presence in the movement has never been entirely comfortable for some of its more hardline supporters.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, far-right commentator Ann Coulter made it clear she would never vote for Ramaswamy because he was Indian. Other MAGA-aligned figures, particularly within evangelical circles, have raised quiet objections to his unapologetic embrace of Hinduism.
The backlash has at times been explicit. After Trump and Musk endorsed his gubernatorial bid, social media saw a predictable storm of reactions, with some questioning whether an Indian-American could truly embody the “America First” philosophy. While Trump’s endorsement may shield him from overt racism within the movement, the skepticism from MAGA’s evangelical and nativist factions remains an unspoken barrier.
Sriram Krishnan: The Tech Bro MAGA Tolerates (For Now)
Sriram Krishnan, a Silicon Valley insider turned Trump AI advisor, has faced his own struggles with MAGA acceptance. Despite being instrumental in shaping Trump’s artificial intelligence policy, Krishnan has been targeted by the movement’s anti-tech faction, with accusations that his immigration views undermine “America First.” His support for removing country caps on green cards—a move that would primarily benefit Indian immigrants—has made him a lightning rod for criticism. The parallels with Ramaswamy are clear: both men are brilliant, both are MAGA-aligned, and yet both remain outsiders to a movement that sees them as symbols of globalization rather than nationalism.
Kash Patel: The Exception
Kash Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist, has arguably fared better than his fellow Indian-Americans in MAGA. A former national security official, Patel’s aggressive stance against the so-called deep state has made him a hero within the movement. Unlike Ramaswamy, Patel’s political survival strategy has been to lean hard into his role as a warrior against government corruption, avoiding discussions of identity that might make him a target for nativist elements. And yet, Kash Patel greeted his parents by touching their feet, and changed Jai Shree Krishna at his hearing, which didn’t get any sort of MAGA backlash.
Usha Vance: The Hindu “Problem”
Usha Vance, left, and first lady Melania Trump stand at Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. AP/PTI(
Perhaps the clearest example of MAGA’s discomfort with Hindu figures is the backlash faced by Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance. As a practicing Hindu, she has been subjected to outright racist attacks from some within the movement. During JD Vance’s inauguration, social media trolls mocked her faith, with comments such as, “Christ is King, not some stinky Indian idol.”
This hostility extends beyond mere internet trolling. There is a real, deep-seated discomfort among segments of MAGA’s evangelical wing toward Hinduism, which they view as pagan and incompatible with Christian nationalism. The same forces that attacked Usha Vance are the ones that remain wary of Ramaswamy, even as he attempts to prove his MAGA credentials.
Ohio 2026: The Road Ahead for Ramaswamy
With Trump’s endorsement and Musk’s backing, Ramaswamy is positioned as a top contender for Ohio governor. But his challenges are significant:
1. Electoral Viability – Ramaswamy’s multiple political pursuits in a short span have given opponents ammunition to paint him as opportunistic.
2. DOGE Baggage – His failed tenure at DOGE, and his unwillingness to discuss it, could become a liability in a state with a sizable federal workforce.
3. The MAGA Litmus Test – Can he convince Ohio’s Trump base to fully embrace him, despite the racial and religious biases that persist within certain factions of the movement?
In the end, Ramaswamy’s Ohio gubernatorial bid is more than just a state-level race—it’s a referendum on how far MAGA is willing to go in embracing non-white, non-Christian leadership. He may have Trump’s backing, but as history has shown, that alone does not erase the deep cultural tensions simmering beneath the surface.