Thiel's support for Donald Trump in 2016 functioned like venture capital for politics—backing a disruptive agent worth a calculated risk—but his realistic aim was modest: not that Trump would deliver positive progress, but that for the first time in 100 years a Republican rejected 'syrupy Bush nonsense' and could at least open a national conversation about American decline.
factualpending
Speaker
Peter ThielEvidence Quote
“I didn't have great expectations about what Trump would do in a positive way. But I thought, at least for the first time in 100 years, we had a Republican who was not giving us this syrupy Bush nonsense.”
Source
A.I., Mars and Immortality: Are We Dreaming Big Enough? | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat— Interesting Times with Ross DouthatCreated: 6/18/2026, 2:32:27 PM
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