Peter Thiel thinks Trump is a one-term president

Publicly, Silicon Valley's Peter Thiel has sung President Trump's praises and maintained his ardent support. But privately, Trump's biggest Silicon Valley supporter has expressed doubts about how successful Trump will be.
BuzzFeed News reported that the "weekend before the election" — just months after Thiel delivered a sweeping endorsement of Trump at the Republican National Convention — Thiel reportedly admitted in "at least one private conversation" that he thought Trump would "likely be a one-term president" if he won. After Trump did indeed win, the billionaire venture capitalist in January told friends that he thinks there's "a 50 percent chance this whole thing ends in disaster."
Trump's first months in office haven't exactly buoyed Thiel's confidence:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At an event in May in San Francisco, he was described by one guest who was in attendance as "annoyed" with the first months of Trump's presidency. With little policy being established by the White House, Thiel worried that the the next four years would be defined by stagnation and stressed the notion that he didn't think Trump would be reelected.In describing the administration, Thiel used one defining word in front of his guests: "incompetent." [BuzzFeed News]
Trump, who has described Thiel as "a very special guy," will likely have something to tweet about that.
Read more at BuzzFeed News.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The US-China trade war comes to Hollywood
Under the Radar China's retaliatory restrictions on foreign films will hurt the US film industry
By Genevieve Bates
-
Ione Skye's 6 favorite books about love and loss
Feature The actress recommends works by James Baldwin, Nora Ephron, and more
By The Week US
-
Book review: 'Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus' and 'When the Going Was Good: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines'
Feature The college dropout who ruled the magazine era and the mysteries surrounding Jesus Christ
By The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump pauses some tariffs but ramps up China tax
Speed Read The president suspended most 'reciprocal' tariffs for 90 days and raised his tariffs for China to 125%
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Ukraine nabs first Chinese troops in Russia war
Speed Read Ukraine claims to have f two Chinese men fighting for Russia
By Peter Weber, The Week US