JD Vance urges friend Peter Thiel to back Trump: ‘Get off the sidelines’

Vance previously worked for billionaire Thiel, who went on to back his Senate campaign in 2022

Senator JD Vance is urging his long-time supporter, Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, to support Donald Trump’s bid for the White House.

Vance has a long-time relationship with Thiel, the former CEO of PayPal. The billionaire supported Vance’s run for Ohio senator in 2022 and was reportedly the one who introduced Vance to Trump.

“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,” Vance told TheFinancial Times.

“He is fundamentally a conservative guy, and I think that he needs to get off the sidelines and support the ticket,” Vance added.

Vance’s comments come after Thiel said last year he does not want to give “any money to Republican politicians in 2024” after disapproving of Trump’s first presidency.

Senator JD Vance speaking at a campaign rally. Vance urged his old friend, Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, to donate to Donald Trump’s campaign (AP)

“There’s always a chance I might change my mind,” Thiel said, according to thenewspaper.

Thiel and Vance first met when the senator attended Yale Law School, The Independent previously reported.

Thiel spoke at the school and disparaged students’ job prospects in the traditional legal trade, urging them to consider jobs in tech instead. Vance later called it “the most significant moment” of his time at Yale.

Vance then worked for Thiel at his San Francisco investment house, Mithril Capital, and then at two venture capital firms.

The Independent has contacted a representative of Thiel for comment.

The Trump campaign could be seeking more cash as the former president falls behind Harris in several national polls.

Harris has a 3.5-point lead over Trump, according to an average of national polls taken on Thursday.

A new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University also shows Harris beating Trump by seven points when race and gender are considered by participants.

“When voters are made to think about the race or gender of the candidates, Harris’ lead grows substantially; when they’re not, support is essentially tied,” the university said in a statement.

Harris has also surged ahead of Trump following last week’s Democratic National Convention, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released on August 29 shows.

Harris is leading Trump 48 percent to 43 percent, which is an eight-point turnaround from June when the former president was ahead of Biden by four points.