“Thiel is interesting,” a third Republican strategist told me. “He is betting. Some are rewarding, some are not.”
Perhaps most important for these strategists: “Most voters don’t have who Peter Thiel is.” He is behind the scenes, but there are still a lot in Republican politics.
Thiel, like Adelson, “not only has to write a check,” explained the first strategist. “They were involved and were there. Here’s the bigger thing I can tell you: the most influential technician is there.”
In this sense, it currently means meeting privately with lawmakers and their employees. (In this case, that doesn’t mean an off-wall podcast interview with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, where they discuss transhumanism and other topics).
“Peter Thiels in the world has been doing this for a while,” said the first strategist. “Elon Musk hasn’t.” Although Musk gave Trump nearly $300 million in 2024, he “accumulated influence, went to the White House and didn’t get everything he wanted.”
The strategist, along with Thiel, mentioned the next best example of how billionaire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison plays the game.
“Obviously, Larry Ellison and Peter Thiels in the world have serious policy issues that they care about. Now, that won’t affect their bottom line soon on individuals. They’ll shape policies for generations.” Ellison and Thiel did not return requests for comment.
To make other Silicon Valley donors a real player, the strategist said they need to consistently spread their donations to multiple candidates and organizations.
“Most technicians and guys in Silicon Valley, that’s one thing that’s consistent: they’re destroying old-fashioned economies that involve 10 or 20 years, but generations.” They think they can do the same for politics. But, as the first strategist pointed out, “This is not a long-term strategy.”
Encryption glue holds it all together
It’s not only about Benjamins. The future of cryptocurrencies is the cash choice for Trump’s first administration and previous campaigns and alumni of Trump’s own family.
A Republican close to the president told Wired, “It can be said that cryptocurrencies may be the glue that keeps the tech world glue.” “Trump is very, very smart in active entry into the tech world in all forms.”
Both Trump and Vance have participated in cryptocurrencies, as key spokespersons back-to-back at their last two annual Bitcoin conferences. The industry is known for its luxurious events at the Republican National Convention last summer.
Donors will always be again pony once more as long as the Trump family can continue to make money from cryptocurrencies, with the growing value of these currencies, members and other speculative digital assets. Just this month, crypto billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss donated $1 million to the super PAC that supports Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Bill Berrien. Representatives of the Winklevoss twins did not return a request for comment.
