Big tech switches supports to Trump

Milwaukee — Amid the pomp and partying at the Republican National Convention, one development is adding to the air of triumphalism in Milwaukee: A slew of major tech players have turned their political and financial support to former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, signaling a possible realignment in support from traditionally liberal Silicon Valley.

It began with reports at the beginning of the week that Elon Musk had pledged $45 million a month for at least the next three months to Trump's election effort. This was reinforced by the selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a former venture capitalist who has nurtured close relationships with right-leaning or libertarian tech leaders in Silicon Valley, as Trump's running mate. By Tuesday, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, co-founders of a high-flying venture capital firm, had endorsed Trump on their podcast and said they would kick in financially to support the former president.

It's an adage in American politics that "money follows money," so many expect the influx of contributions from Musk and the other tech moguls to generate a lot more cash for Republicans in the coming weeks. Those at the vanguard of this trend are taking full advantage of the momentum.  

Venture capitalist David Sacks, a past supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton and relatively early adopter of the Trump tech money machine, is urging his comrades to get off the sidelines and give to the Republican nominee. He took to X this week with a social media post that listed the growing number of Trump contributors, including Musk, Andreessen Horowitz, Joe Lonsdale, a co-founder of the data mining company, Palantir, and Doug Leone, the billionaire venture capitalist and major tech investor, who have all given to Trump.