Why Silicon Valley conservatives love Vance

The 39-year-old former venture capitalist joins the GOP list as a growing number of executives in Silicon Valley – once considered a liberal bastion – rallied around Trumpespecially after the assassination attempt on the former president last weekend.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk Musk officially endorsed Trump on Saturday, shortly after the shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Musk’s endorsement marks a turning point for the owner of Tesla, SpaceX and social platform X, who had previously supported Democrats.

“In the last few months, Elon has made it clear that he leans more Republican,” said Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. “He was leaning that way anyway, and this was the perfect moment for him to formalize that.”

Like Musk, several wealthy tech leaders who once donated to the Democrats are now supporting Trump. They join a small, existing group of conservatives in Silicon Valley, as well as a growing cohort of cryptocurrency investors who are unhappy with the Biden administration’s approach to the emerging digital asset industry.

This group celebrated the decision to put Vance on the Republican ballot on Monday.

Jacob Helbergsenior adviser to the CEO of Palantir Technologies, said in a post on X that the Ohio senator “will be a historic and extraordinarily capable vice president.” Helberg, once a prominent Democratic donor, reportedly donated $1 million to Trump’s campaign.

investor Balaji Srinivasan pointed to Vance’s past as a “successful technology investor” and his understanding of the “military, media, technology, finance and politics” and described him as a “great choice for the vice presidency.”

Venture capitalist David SacksA longtime Republican donor who hosted a fundraiser for Trump at his San Francisco home in June praised the Marine veteran as an “American patriot,” adding, “I want him by Trump’s side.”

“God bless JD, God bless Trump and God bless the USA,” he wrote on X.

Read more in a full report on TheHill.com.