CNN’s KFile Reveals Vivek Ramaswamy Spent Years Attacking Elon Musk As China’s ‘Circus Monkey’

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Vivek Ramaswamy repeatedly accused Elon Musk of kowtowing to China in the years before the pair were tapped to take on President-elect Donald Trump’s federal cost cutting venture as part of the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Ramaswamy’s pointed critiques, uncovered extensively by CNN’s KFile, frequently targeted Musk’s business dealings and alleged pandering to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In 2022 when Musk suggested Taiwan should become a special administrative region of China—a position celebrated by Chinese officials. Tesla’s significant reliance on the Chinese market, including its Shanghai factory accounting for over half of its global deliveries in 2023, further fueled Ramaswamy’s disapproval.

“I think Tesla is increasingly beholden to China,” Ramaswamy stated in May 2023 after Tesla announced plans for a Shanghai battery plant. “I have no reason to think Elon won’t jump like a circus monkey when Xi Jinping calls in the hour of need.”

Ramaswamy also called out Musk’s role in advancing electric vehicles, arguing it left the U.S. less competitive in fossil fuel production.

On his podcast in May 2023, Ramaswamy said: “All this is for an electric vehicle movement that subsidizes behavior leaving the U.S. less competitive when it comes to fossil fuel production.”

Ramaswamy’s condemnation extended to Musk’s perceived willingness to bend to Beijing’s will. “The U.S. needs leaders who aren’t in China’s pocket,” he wrote on X in 2023. He also labeled Musk’s actions as akin to Apple CEO Tim Cook, accusing both of “bending the knee” to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Despite this history, Ramaswamy recently softened his stance, crediting Musk for his “extraordinary risks against his financial interests” and emphasizing their shared loyalty to the U.S.

“I love him and respect the hell out of him,” Ramaswamy told CNN.