Trump’s newly-announced running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, has a deep history with Peter Thiel, a longtime GOP donor and Silicon Valley billionaire. Thiel has a net worth of 7.9 billion dollars as he co-founded PayPal, invested in Facebook, and is a partner of a venture capital firm, Founders Fund, that has investments in companies such as SpaceX.
Thiel’s political ideology raises significant concerns. He identifies as a libertarian, with his core ideology resting in disbelief of establishment institutions, the criticism of progressive elites, and the push for more restrictive border policies. However, he controversially stated, “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” prompting critics to argue that he actually leans towards authoritarianism and fascism, rather than libertarianism. Thiel also wrote that women gaining voting rights “rendered the notion of ‘capitalist democracy’ into an oxymoron.”
In 2016, Thiel hosted a “Right Wing Dinner Squad” that included white nationalist Kevin DeAnna. His shift to the far right is evident through his political donations, including a $20 million donation to the Saving Arizona PAC, which supported venture capitalist Blake Masters during a failed Republican Senate run in 2022. Thiel has also donated thousands of dollars to Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz, Representative Michael McCaul. and former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
His connection to J.D. Vance dates back to 2011, when they met following a talk from Thiel at Yale Law School. According to Vance, he became a “pretty good mentor” to him over the years. He even helped J.D. enter the venture capital world by making him a partner at his company, Mithril Capital, in 2015. In 2019, Vance launched his own venture capital firm, Narya Capital, that reportedly received backing from Thiel. He also reportedly brought Vance to Mar-a-Lago in 2021 to smooth over his relationship with former President Trump, as he had previously been a strong critic of Trump. He eventually secured Trump’s endorsement for his 2022 Ohio Senate campaign, which may have helped win him the Republican primary and eventual general election. During his Senate run, he received record-breaking donations totaling about $15 million from Thiel which was the largest amount of money donated to a single Senate candidate ever. Thiel even pulled some of his Silicon Valley strings to recruit ten major donors for Vance, like venture capitalist David Sacks who donated $1 million. During his campaign Vance even offered dinner with him and Thiel to his top donors.
Peter Thiel has aided Vance from his time in venture capital to his current role as an Ohio Senator and has been Vance’s most prominent benefactor over the years. Even though Thiel has vowed to stay out of the 2024 campaign, his previous influence helped Vance become the Vice President nominee. Vance, a relative newcomer to national politics, has been able to successfully court billionaires and Silicon Valley titans to bankroll his rise to Trump’s running mate. This potential influx of dark money donations and swing to the extreme right is very dangerous for our democracy and our future.