On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance publicly acknowledged a simmering âtensionâ between two warring factions inside the Republican party â the populist MAGA right and the tech billionaires who threw their support to Donald Trump â and called for a truce.
In remarks at Andreesen-Horowitzâs American Dynamism policy conference in Washington, DC, Vance, a former venture capitalist, and Peter Thiel, protege turned MAGA internet darling, sought to connect two sides of the coalition that got Trump into the White House, but found each other at philosophical odds. Throughout the transition and early administration, the populist right began heavily criticizing the new tech players and agendas that were now influencing the president â particularly Elon Musk, whose support of H1B1 visas drew a sharp rebuke from the anti-immigration Steve Bannon, and Marc Andreessen, who helped vet potential administration appointees. Â
âIâd like to speak to these tensions as a proud member of both tribes,â Vance said, in comments reported by the New York Times. âWhile this is a well-intentioned concern, I think itâs based on a faulty premise. This idea that tech-forward people and …
