Peter Thiel Hosted a White Nationalist During 2016 Trump Campaign: Report

Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel hosted a prominent white nationalist at a dinner party in the summer of 2016 at his home in Palo Alto, BuzzFeed News reports. The Facebook board member and Palantir co-founder invited Kevin DeAnna, a prominent alt-right writer for the white nationalist websites VDare, American Renaissance, and Counter-Currents, to dine with him in July 2016 and afterwards emailed about how much he enjoyed DeAnna’s company: “Really enjoyed meeting you last night. I may be in DC towards the end of September, and let me know [if you] make it to SF anytime!” Another writer who appeared in VDare videos also reportedly attended. Thiel made a $1.25 million donation to Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign later that year, one of the only prominent Silicon Valley figures to do so. In recent months, however, Thiel has distanced himself from the Trump White House over its response to the coronavirus pandemic.