Billionaire and immortality enthusiast Peter Thiel, who placed a quixotic bet on Donald Trump in 2016, is standing down this election cycle, promising he won’t donate to Trump, or anyone else running for office, in 2024. Thiel’s abstention has been rumored since April, but in a move reminiscent of an addict who needs a sponsor to talk him off the ledge, Thiel asked Atlantic staff writer Barton Gellman to record his promise to stay out of politics in 2024 so he wouldn’t be tempted to renege.
And why is Thiel opting out? In part, it’s because he thinks Trump went too far and was a lot “crazier” and “more dangerous” than he expected.
Hmm, go figure.
