Failed Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stepped on a rake when he told Americans they should be afraid of unelected bureaucrats, after which a smattering of responders pointed out that he is, in fact, an unelected bureaucrat.
Ramaswamy, who marketed himself as and "anti-woke" business tycoon, now finds himself orbiting the halls of power after Donald Trump named him and Tesla/X CEO Elon Musk to the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
It's unclear what, if any, power Musk and Ramaswamy will have as leaders of DOGE. They've already made clear their plans to shut down federal agencies, fire tons of federal workers, and dismantle government regulations.
Ramaswamy’s assertion came after MSNBC's Joy Reid warned viewers that raw milk would become prevalent if he and Musk get their way, a claim he dismissed as "fear-mongering."
"The fear-mongering has begun," he wrote on X. "But the real thing we *should* be afraid of is the loss of self-governance to an unelected bureaucracy."
Users on X promptly reminded Ramaswamy — who has never won an election — that he is the very definition of an "unelected bureaucrat."
"You do realize you’re an unelected bureaucrat, right?" one user wrote. "Please just make smart choices with the government you and Elon control now. Think of everyone’s children and your own."
Other commenters were less diplomatic.
"Your lack of self-awareness exceeds even your lack of a grownup haircut," political commentator Keith Olbermann wrote.
Tom Coates, who works in various aspects of digital media, pointed out that Ramaswamy is not only unelected, but he was roundly rejected by the public.
"Anyone want to explain to Vivek that not only is he an unelected bureaucrat, the public also has a chance to vote for him and *overwhelmingly* chose not to. He’s an *anti-elected* bureaucrat," he wrote.
The unelected bureaucrats running DOGE plan to meet actual elected members of the government — Republican lawmakers — in Washington DC on December 5 to discuss their plans.
