Miliardarul, susținătorul lui Trump, Peter Thiel, caută cetățenia malteză, spune un raport

Topline

Billionaire venture capitalist, PayPal cofounder and major MAGA Republican donor Peter Thiel is seeking citizenship in the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, according to a New York Times report, although his intentions behind the citizenship are not yet clear.

Fapte-cheie

Numărul de evaluare Forbes

We estima Thiel’s worth at $4.2 billion, making him the 626th wealthiest person in the world.

Fundalul cheie

Thiel, a partner with venture capital firm Founders Fund, and a primary investor in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Stripe, was also the first major investor in Facebook, although he a plecat from the social media giant in February with the intention of influencing the midterm elections in favor of pro-MAGA candidates. He was one of Trump’s biggest donors in his 2016 presidential campaign, when he donat $1.25 million in super PAC and direct donations. He also spoke at the Republican National Convention that year. Thiel has been described as a controversial figure in recent years for embracing seemingly contradictory ideologies. He is a GOP-supporting mega-fundraiser in a Democratic-leaning tech industry. He is gay and he supports former President Donald Trump, who has been criticat for supporting anti-LGBTQ policies. In 2011, he obținut citizenship in New Zealand, although his citizenship status was not made public until 2017. Reports revealed the country’s Internal Affairs officials waived two primary requirements for a New Zealand passport—being a permanent resident or having plans to be one—claiming his “entrepreneurial skills” make him “exceptional.”

Tangentă

Thiel plans to spend another $5 million on Masters’ campaign in Arizona, in addition to the $15 million he spent on his campaign in the Republican primary race earlier this year, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. As for Vance’s campaign, Thiel could have already donated his last dollar. CNBC reported earlier this month Thiel had indicated he is focusing his fundraising on the Arizona Senate race, following recent sondaje that show Masters trailing incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), while sondaje in Ohio have Vance narrowly ahead of Democratic candidate Tim Ryan.

Fapt surprinzător

Thiel, a Los Angeles resident who has an island estate near Miami Beach, Florida, also had Planurile to build a megamansion on more than 18 acres of land on New Zealand’s South Island. Those plans, however, was thwarted last month, after local officials denied the proposal, arguing it would have an overwhelming aesthetic impact in the serene lakefront and leave an adverse environmental footprint. He has propus creating a city on floating platforms outside the bounds of national waters.

Lectură ulterioară

Peter Thiel’s midterm bet: the billionaire seeking to disrupt America’s democracy (Gardianul)

Peter Thiel, Major U.S. Political Donor, Is Said to Pursue Maltese Citizenship (New York Times)

The Many Contradictions Of Peter Thiel’s New Zealand Citizenship (Forbes)