Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 194
What Just Happened?
Venture capitalist Peter Thiel, a vocal supporter of President Trump, told Fox News that while most of the Democratic presidential field was “equally unimpressive,” he thought that Sen. Elizabeth Warren was “the dangerous one.”
Said Thiel: “I’m most scared by Elizabeth Warren. I think she’s the one who’s actually talking about the economy, which is the only thing — the thing that I think matters by far the most.”
Warren tweeted a succint response: “Good.”
President Trump’s most prominent Silicon Valley supporter has distanced himself from the president in private conversations, describing his “incompetent” administration, and one that may well end in “disaster,” according to BuzzFeed News.
“Peter Thiel’s unguarded remarks have surprised associates, some of whom are still reeling from his full-throated endorsement of Trump at the Republican National Convention. And while the investor stands by the president in public… his private doubts underscore the fragility of the president’s backing from even his most public allies… Thiel’s views remain private — but various disparaging comments were recounted to BuzzFeed News by three separate sources, and others who subsequently confirmed those accounts. These people requested anonymity for fear of damaging personal relationships and possible retribution.”
“Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire and outspoken Donald Trump supporter, is considering a 2018 bid for California governor, according to three Republicans familiar with his thinking,” Politico reports.
“Adding fuel to the speculation: Thiel raised eyebrows this week when he granted a rare interview to the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd. In the interview, he outlined his political worldview and explained his support for Trump.(At one point, Thiel said, perhaps jokingly, that he’d be ‘fine’ with California seceding.”
“Donald Trump has made it clear he will nominate Peter Thiel to the Supreme Court if he wins the presidency, Thiel has told friends, according to a source close to the PayPal co-founder,” the Huffington Post reports.
“It’s not clear whether Trump has indeed offered to nominate Thiel ― only that Thiel has said Trump would nominate him and that Trump’s team has discussed Thiel as a possible nominee. Both sources requested anonymity, given that Trump and Thiel have each demonstrated a willingness to seek revenge against parties they feel have wronged them. In Thiel’s case, he secretly financed lawsuits against Gawker.com with the intention of destroying the publication. He succeeded, and his role in the assault was only revealed in the final stages.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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