In a recent interview with The Financial Times, J.D. Vance pleaded with his former backer, Peter Thiel, to get involved in the 2024 Presidential race.
Donald Trump's disastrous vice presidential pick is J.D. Vance, who shows no ability to connect with people. One of the main reasons the Ohio senator was selected for the ticket was his relationships with Silicon Valley billionaires like Peter Thiel. But that hasn't resulted in an infusion of cash for Team Trump.
Thiel, a very wealthy man, is the kind of figure who could give the sagging campaign a boost. He doesn't seem interested in getting involved in this race, however.
Vance said in the interview:
"I’m going to keep on talking to Peter and persuading him that — you know he’s obviously been exhausted by politics a little bit — but he’s going to be really exhausted by politics if we lose and if Kamala Harris is president. He [Thiel] is fundamentally a conservative guy, and I think that he needs to get off the sidelines and support the ticket."
Thiel had a big impact on some 2022 Senate races, giving big money to Vance and Arizona candidate Blake Masters. Vance was successful in red state Ohio, but Masters lost by nearly 5% to Mark Kelly.
Thiel has said he is not interested in helping this time around, saying this summer, "If you hold a gun to my head, I’ll vote for Trump. I’m not going to give any money to his super PAC."