In Peter Thiel, Trump finds a Silicon Valley supporter

"Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East," Mr Thiel said.

Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel speaks at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 21, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Silicon Valley tech geniuses have been critical of Donald Trump and many including Google CEO Sundar Pichai have come out openly against the Republican presidential candidate’s rhetoric against immigration.

In Peter Thiel, tech entrepreneur who among other things is known as the founder of Paypal, Mr. Trump got a much-needed supporter. Mr. Thiel used his reputation as a tech pioneer and his openly gay identity to endorse Mr. Trump on the final evening of the Republican National Convention.

Mr. Trump was scheduled to make his acceptance speech later in the evening.

“Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East,” Mr Thiel said, lamenting the apparent decline in America’s technological superiority and the corresponding chaos in the West Asia that he said has been due to U.S. interventions.

Recalling his childhood in Cleveland, Mr. Thiel said: “The Apollo program was just about to put a man on the moon-and it was Neil Armstrong, from right here in Ohio. The future felt limitless. But today our government is broken. Our nuclear bases still use floppy disks. Our newest fighter jets can’t even fly in the rain. And it would be kind to say the government’s software works poorly, because much of the time it doesn’t even work at all. That is a staggering decline for the country that completed the Manhattan Project. We don’t accept such incompetence in Silicon Valley, and we must not accept it from our government. We don’t need to see Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails: her incompetence is in plain sight. She pushed for a war in Libya, and today it’s a training ground for ISIS.”

“Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom,” he said, referring to an ongoing debate in many American states on how to demarcate bathrooms for transgender people in public places. “This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares? Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American,” he said.

“When Donald Trump asks us to Make America Great Again, he’s not suggesting a return to the past. He’s running to lead us back to that bright future. Tonight I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump,” he said.