“Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East.”
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
In enthusiastically endorsing Donald Trump for president at the Republican National Convention Thursday night, billionaire entrenpreneur Peter Thiel slammed the U.S.’s current approach to foreign policy, saying, “instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East.” Thiel, who is openly gay, also criticized his party’s focus on transgender bathroom laws that have been condemned as discriminatory against LGBT individuals, calling culture wars “fake” and a “distraction”—a position that is at odds with many social conservatives in his party. Regardless, the speech was well-received by the GOP audience.
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