JD Vance's billionaire mentor 'disinclined' to contribute to Donald Trump's presidential campaign

WASHINGTON, DC:  Peter Thiel, the billionaire mentor of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, has said he’s "disinclined" to contribute to former president Donald Trump's campaign, as reported by The New York Times on Saturday.

Earlier this month at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the 78-year-old MAGA strongman was officially announced as the 2024 GOP presidential nominee. Subsequently, the ex-POTUS announced Sen JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his pick for vice president.

Thiel, a Republican and co-founder of PayPal, has been in good terms with JD Vance since 2011 when the then-student turned Ohio senator met him after the venture capitalist delivered a speech at Yale Law School, according to Newsweek.

Following this meeting, Thiel became a "pretty good mentor" to Vance, per The Washington Post. JD Vance later transitioned to venture capital and became a partner with Thiel in 2015, according to Politico.

What did Peter Thiel say regarding Trump-Vance Republican ticket for upcoming election?

In early 2021, Thiel introduced JD Vance to Donald Trump, and since then, the venture capitalist has supported Vance, privately encouraging Trump to select the Ohio senator as his running mate, according to the New York Times.

In an interview with the aforementioned outlet on Friday, Thiel, one of Trump's earliest major supporters in 2016, discussed Trump's and Vance's White House campaign while expressing his support for the duo.

However, when questioned about his intention to contribute to Trump's campaign or affiliated organizations, Thiel mentioned that he was “disinclined to do it” indicating that the ex-president doesn't require his financial support.

"I went on record saying I would not give money to super PACs, and I still feel I have to stick with that. I think it's going to be very different from 2016 or 2020. I don't think the election is going to be close. I think Trump and JD will crush the election by a solid margin—4 percent or 5 percent of the popular vote. And it doesn't matter what I do. It doesn't matter what Democrat donors do," he said. "Trump is locked on a massively winning race. And the Democrats are locked on a massively losing race. And that's why the money doesn't matter."

Thiel did not contribute to Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, although he donated slightly more than $1 million in 2016.

Despite his admission that he did not think the first Trump term lived up to his expectations, Thiel claimed "in spite of many misgivings I had earlier this year, it makes me more hopeful that a second Trump term will be better than the first."

Peter Thiel had been a significant contributor to the GOP's major individual donors for the 2022 midterm elections, donating over $35 million to at least 16 Republican candidates running in federal elections.

Just 48 hours after President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate, Harris' campaign managed to raise $126 million, as stated in Wednesday's state of the race memo from ‘Harris for President’ Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon.

Trump's campaign raised nearly $112 million in June, as reported by Politico.

The attempted assassination of former President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, nearly two weeks ago is expected to have prompted significant donations.

The shooting incident resulted in an ear injury for the ex-Commander-in-Chief, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured before the assailant, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service counter-snipers.

There have been speculations that Trump regrets picking JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate after Biden's withdrawal and subsequent endorsement of VP Harris.

According to poll numbers, Vance, the non-incumbent vice presidential nominee, received a net-negative favorable rating after the convention, the first time this has occurred since 1980. CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten noted that his rating was at -6 points after the convention.

Steven Cheung, Trump's communications spokesperson, refuted rumors that the former POTUS was second-guessing his selection of JD Vance as his running mate.

"President Trump is thrilled with the choice he made with Senator Vance, and they are the perfect team to take back the White House. And any reporting to the contrary is nothing but ridiculous fake news from either nonexistent sources or individuals who have no idea what's going on," Cheung remarked, adding. "Meanwhile, Democrats are in complete disarray after their coup that forcibly removed Biden from the campaign, proving they are the real threats to democracy."

Meanwhile, Thiel commended JD Vance, saying, "I think JD is smart. I think he's charismatic. I think he is not a crazy person. And I think he is fundamentally a good person. I don't even know who else they could have found who's all four of those." 

Internet divided as Peter Thiel 'disinclined' to contribute to Donald Trump's campaign

One X user claimed, "Peter Thiel should be banned from any political donations as he is a citizen of New Zealand, Germany and the US. As he has US citizenship, it is not illegal for him to donate but it is highly questionable."

Another user remarked, "There are plenty that will."

Another user said, "Aaah the man who’s funded the Affirmative Action that has placed JD Vance as VP to Trump."

One X user wrote, "Because JD is anti-war and look at this ‘mentors’ portfolio."

Another user asserted, "Cause he was probably offered a cabinet spot and if he donates then there might be a conflict issue."

Finally, this user tweeted, "He has only one vote."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.