'Let's roll': Vivek Ramaswamy's thank-you note to Donald Trump, Elon Musk for endorsing him in Ohio governor race

Republican billionaire businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who launched his bid for the Ohio governor, thanked SpaceX and Tesla owner Elon Musk on Tuesday for endorsing him.

Ramaswamy shared a video of his speech on Monday on X, captioning his post as: “I am honoured to officially announce my candidacy to serve as the next Governor of Ohio.”

Elon Musk reshared Ramaswamy's post, wishing him good luck. Musk said, "Good luck, you have my full endorsement!"

"Thank you Elon. Let’s roll!," Ramaswamy responded.

Trump endorses Ramaswamy's bid

Trump endorsed Ramaswamy's bid on Monday evening.

"I know him well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL. He's Young, Strong, and Smart!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!" he added.

Ramaswamy thanked Trump too, saying, “Thank you President Trump. I’m truly honored to have your endorsement. We’re behind you all the way & we will Make Ohio Great Again!”

Ramaswamy joins the Ohio governor's race

Vivek Ramaswamy, who was tapped to join the government-efficiency effort led by billionaire Elon Musk, kickstarted his campaign for governor of Ohio on Monday.

"President Trump is reviving our conviction in America, we require a leader here at home, who will revive our conviction in Ohio," Ramaswamy was quoted by AFP as saying in a speech on Monday.

The election for Ohio governor will take place on November 3, 2026.

Ramaswamy promised…

According to the Associated Press, Ramaswamy promised to institute work requirements for Medicaid and merit pay for all public school teachers and administrators. He told the crowd at his campaign launch that he would “end the war on work” by reattaching work requirements to Medicaid and welfare.

He vowed to eliminate income and property taxes, and he promised Ohio would be the first state in the nation to implement merit-based pay for every teacher, principal, superintendent and administrator.

Ramaswamy quit DOGE

Ramaswamy's move to run for Ohio governor came a month after he quit US President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Ramaswamy had co-led the DOGE with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Trump's biggest donor, in its mission to gut federal staffing and spending.

A former 2024 presidential primary candidate, Ramaswamy went on to endorse Trump, who returned the favor by appointing him to the DOGE.

His departure from the commission was announced soon after Trump's inauguration in late January. There were already reports then that he intended to run for governor of the state.

(With inputs from agencies)