The US President-elect Donald Trump has picked Vivek Ramaswamy along with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to head the all-new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Just days before the announcement a video of his high-school graduation day speech surfaced online and went viral. Ramaswamy, 39, is the first Indian American to have been tapped by Trump into his administration beginning January 20 next year.
Vivek Ramaswamy has now reposted the commencement day speech himself. “I was against bureaucracy back then too,” wrote Ramaswamy while sharing the speech video.
Watch Vivek Ramaswamy’s speech video
Vivek Ramaswamy’s speech that has many on the internet in awe
The speech video features a young Ramaswamy, then an 18-year-old student at St Xavier High School, delivering the commencement speech. Addressing his classmates, teachers, and dignitaries, Ramaswamy opened his speech with a thoughtful welcome. “I have been racing my entire high school career,” Ramaswamy says in the video, “but now, when we are finally crossing the finish line, I wish I could have stopped, just a little earlier, and catch a breath of the fresh air that has surrounded me the whole time.”
He then goes on to welcome everyone, saying, “Teachers, staff, classmates, counsellors and friends, I’d like to welcome you to the 2003 Saint X graduation ceremony.”
Drawing inspiration from his English class, Ramaswamy contemplates the bittersweet nature of graduation. Citing the adage, “It is better to travel than to arrive,” he acknowledges feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension about this significant milestone. “How am I supposed to feel right now?” he wonders aloud, encapsulating the complex emotions that arise as he steps into the unknown.
Reflecting further, he delves into the word “commencement,” tracing its roots to the French “commencer,” meaning “to begin.” Ironically, this term is used to mark the conclusion of their four-year high school journey. “So, what is it really?” he asks. “The grand finale of our story, or the starting point of a new chapter?”
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead Department of Government Efficiency
“I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),” Trump announced earlier this week.
“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the federal bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual USD 6.5 trillion of government spending,” said the president-elect.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement,” he said.