Trump Reportedly Now Wants Vivek Ramaswamy To Replace JD Vance In The Senate

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

President-elect Donald Trump reportedly pressured Vivek Ramaswamy in recent weeks to take Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Ohio Senate seat, should he be offered it.

Ramaswamy previously took himself out of consideration for the seat after Trump named him to co-lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency effort with Elon Musk.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) will appoint Vance’s replacement who will serve until the November 2026 midterms choose a permanent senator to serve out the term lasting until January 2029.

The Washington Post reported on Trump’s desire for 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 added some key 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 U.S. culture for creating “mediocrity” in the American workforce and argued in favor of importing high-skilled workers. Musk and Trump eventually sided with Ramaswamy, who received harsh criticism from the Trump base over the comments.