4 ms·

I don't think he's investing in the hopes that Trump will pull of a long shot. I think he has a different goal in mind. He said in his speech at the RNC that th

I don't think he's investing in the hopes that Trump will pull of a long shot. I think he has a different goal in mind. He said in his speech at the RNC that the country is broken and that Trump is the only one who can fix it. I have no doubt that he believes the first part - he's said as much for a long time - but I do doubt that he really thinks Trump is the man to fix anything. Thiel may be nutty according to some, but he's not an idiot and the only thing Trump has ever been good at is self-promotion and entertainment. I think he thinks the country is broken and _someone_ has to fix it. He's supporting Trump and investing in his campaign even at this late, seemingly forgone stage, in order to build credibility with Trump's base and conservatives in general. If he wasn't an immigrant I would think he might be aiming for the presidency himself, but he probably just wants to be an influencer or power broker.

icebraining 10y ago
Considering how divisive Trump is even among the conservative base, and especially in the RNC, seems weird to support this particular candidate if what he wants is to assert himself in the republican base and party.
- md_ 10y ago
  Maybe the point is to signal his willingness as a backer to other potential candidates. Though I find even that a bit odd. Would people not take a pledge seriously without having seen his demonstrated willingness to lose large sums of money?
- adrianratnapala 10y ago
  When (as seems likely) Trump loses this election, a weird new space in the Republican party. The "establishment" (whatever that is) will still be the enemy, but the rejection of any one more serious than Trump will have to go. This will be opportune world for all kinds of right-wingers whose ideas are too extreme or too kooky to have been taken seriously before, but who are more toughtful than Trump. In very different ways, Paul Ryan and Peter Thiel are positioning themselves for that world. As are a lot of others.
hacker42 10y ago
Here is an interesting take on this matter: > Famously, the only reason he went to seek fortune in the Silicon Valley was because he was denied a highly prestigious clerk position for a Supreme Court justice. > It seems to me that Thiel originally wished to become a politician, and only stopped pursuing that path to seek his fortune in the Silicon Valley when he hit his first setback when applying to clerk for the Supreme Court. Source: https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Peter-Thiel-supporting-Donald-Trump/answer/Craig-Hunter-21?srid=djsd&share=18187017 https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Peter-Thiel-supporting-Donald-T...
- nostrademons 10y ago
  I doubt it. Thiel's personality - in all his public appearances - has been hyper-rational, not exactly the sort who would hold onto a childhood dream for 20 years. And he's talked about how falling off that track was the best thing that ever happened to him - so much so that he now wants to help other talented college kids fall off the established track. Also, he's not U.S. born, which disqualifies him from being president anyway. He could potentially seek some other office...but I really doubt that he would want any position that makes him just like 99 other or 434 other people.
  - dickman3000 10y ago
    Peter Thiel doesn't seem hyper-rational. He had an 8 year long hissyfit that culminated in the Gawker lawsuit.
    - forthefuture 10y ago
      Or he crushed an opponent in comical fashion after 8 years of antagonism.

icebraining 10y ago

Considering how divisive Trump is even among the conservative base, and especially in the RNC, seems weird to support this particular candidate if what he wants is to assert himself in the republican base and party.

md_ 10y ago
Maybe the point is to signal his willingness as a backer to other potential candidates. Though I find even that a bit odd. Would people not take a pledge seriously without having seen his demonstrated willingness to lose large sums of money?
adrianratnapala 10y ago
When (as seems likely) Trump loses this election, a weird new space in the Republican party. The "establishment" (whatever that is) will still be the enemy, but the rejection of any one more serious than Trump will have to go. This will be opportune world for all kinds of right-wingers whose ideas are too extreme or too kooky to have been taken seriously before, but who are more toughtful than Trump. In very different ways, Paul Ryan and Peter Thiel are positioning themselves for that world. As are a lot of others.

hacker42 10y ago

Here is an interesting take on this matter: > Famously, the only reason he went to seek fortune in the Silicon Valley was because he was denied a highly prestigious clerk position for a Supreme Court justice. > It seems to me that Thiel originally wished to become a politician, and only stopped pursuing that path to seek his fortune in the Silicon Valley when he hit his first setback when applying to clerk for the Supreme Court. Source: https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Peter-Thiel-supporting-Donald-Trump/answer/Craig-Hunter-21?srid=djsd&share=18187017 https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Peter-Thiel-supporting-Donald-T...

nostrademons 10y ago
I doubt it. Thiel's personality - in all his public appearances - has been hyper-rational, not exactly the sort who would hold onto a childhood dream for 20 years. And he's talked about how falling off that track was the best thing that ever happened to him - so much so that he now wants to help other talented college kids fall off the established track. Also, he's not U.S. born, which disqualifies him from being president anyway. He could potentially seek some other office...but I really doubt that he would want any position that makes him just like 99 other or 434 other people.
- dickman3000 10y ago
  Peter Thiel doesn't seem hyper-rational. He had an 8 year long hissyfit that culminated in the Gawker lawsuit.
  - forthefuture 10y ago
    Or he crushed an opponent in comical fashion after 8 years of antagonism.