Jacob Helberg, a prominent Silicon Valley figure and senior advisor at Palantir, has shifted his political support from the Democratic Party to Donald Trump, donating $1 million to the former president’s campaign. Helberg, who also chairs the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, stated that Trump was “right on a lot of make-or-break issues for America” and that “the social cost of supporting [him] isn’t as great as it was.”
This one’s for Israel. 🇮🇱 🇺🇸 https://t.co/YR1lb0aM9Y
— Jacob Helberg (@jacobhelberg) May 15, 2024
Previously a fundraiser for Democratic candidates, including Pete Buttigieg, Helberg’s views began to change due to the pandemic, the artificial intelligence arms race against China, and his efforts to ban TikTok in the United States. According to the Washington Post, Helberg’s significant donation now places him among the top donors to Trump’s campaign, which is currently trailing President Biden’s in fundraising.
Helberg’s contribution included $844,600 to the Trump 47 joint fundraising committee. As of the end of March, at least 20 donors had contributed the maximum amount of over $800,000 to this committee, based on Federal Election Commission reports. Trump has been actively encouraging more donors to join this elite group through several high-profile fundraisers in recent months. Helberg stands out as the only known maxed-out donor from the tech industry.
The driving force behind Helberg’s switch appears to be Joe Biden’s perceived lack of support for Israel. After news of his donation emerged, Helberg wrote on the X platform, “This one’s for Israel.”
Despite some tech leaders softening their stance towards Trump, Silicon Valley remains largely hostile to conservatives and the Republican Party. Previously, the only major tech figure to support Trump was PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who has also funded various legislative campaigns. Notably, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a vocal opponent of the far-left progressive agenda. However, Musk has expressed skepticism towards Trump and recently indicated he would not be donating to his 2024 campaign.