Vivek Ramaswamy reacts to viral video of his high school graduation speech

Vivek Ramaswamy’s speech from his high school graduation has surfaced on social media following President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement naming him to co-lead the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. The biotech entrepreneur has opened up about his old viral speech and shared his reaction on X.
“Vivek Ramaswamy, 18 years old. His High School Graduation Speech of 2003,” an X user wrote while sharing the video. In the footage, an 18-year-old Ramaswamy addresses his classmates, teachers, and other dignitaries at St. Xavier High School in Ohio. “How am I supposed to feel right now?” he says in the video. He then reflects on his journey at the institution and his feelings at the time.
Reposting the video, the former Republican presidential candidate wrote, “I was against bureaucracy back then too.” He concluded his post with a laughing-out-loud emoticon.
Donald Trump announced that Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk would lead DOGE together in a statement shared on the social media platform Truth Social.
“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’). 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,” Donald Trump said in the statement.
He added that he is looking forward to “Elon and Vivek” making changes that would make “life better for all Americans.” Further, the President-elect added that the department could potentially become “The Manhattan Project” of the modern era.