Peter Thiel for Supreme Court? Trump might be considering it

Thiel would be the first openly gay nominee, but he'd have to defend some controversial statements

Peter Thiel has been one of the few, if not the only, big name in tech to actively support Donald Trump's candidacy for president. He was a delegate for Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, and was even given a plum speaking spot, coming out right before Ivanka came out to introduce the candidate himself.

Now it looks like that support could be rewarded in a big way, if Trump gets the chance. 

If Trump is elected President, he is going to nominate Thiel to the Supreme Court, giving him the spot once held by Antonin Scalia, who died in February. That's at least what Thiel has apparently been telling his friends, according to a report in the Huffington Post on Thursday. 

Whether or not this is actually true is a bit muddy. Sources would only speak if they could remain anonymous, for apparent fear of retribution from both men (more on that later). It's also not clear if Trump has actually offered the job to Thiel, or if this is just what Thiel is telling people. So far, a Trump spokesperson is denying that Trump is even considering it. 

“There is absolutely no truth to this whatsoever,” Trump’s press secretary, Hope Hicks, told the Huffington Post.

Interestingly, even Thiel's people are denying it as well. Jeremiah Hall, Thiel's spokesman, told Business Insider, "Peter hasn't had any conversations about a Supreme Court nomination and has no interest in the job." 

Of course, in the world of politics, such denials should always be taken with a grain of salt. I can't even count the number of times politicians have repeatedly said they wouldn't do something... until they turned around and did exactly what they said they'd never do (remember when Marco Rubio wasn't going to run for reelection? Yeah, that didn't last long).

VatorNews has reached out to Thiel for comment. We will update this story if we learn more.

Thiel's controversial statements

So, let's say this does happen, that Trump wins and nominates Thiel for the Supreme Court. It would be interesting for many different reasons.

First, because Thiel would be the first openly gay nominee for the Supreme Court in history, and that would certainly be something to celebrate. He made similar history at the RNC over the summer, becoming the first speaker to ever declare themselves to be gay at the Republican convention. 

"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," Thiel said in his speech.

Beyond that, though, are the numerous controversial statements that Thiel has made over the course of his career, which he would no doubt have to answer for. For example, he once compared the current education system to the Catholic Church in the 16th century.

"It has become a very corrupt institution. It was charging more and more for indulgences. People thought they could only get saved by going to the Catholic church, just like people today believe that salvation involves getting a college diploma," he said.

Thiel has called the practice of diversifying your portfolio both lazy and immoral. He has also said that "competition is for losers." 

The statement that would likely spark the most outrage would be his comments regarding women and their right to vote. 

"Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women — two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians — have rendered the notion of 'capitalist democracy' into an oxymoron," he wrote in an blog post in 2009. 

"It would be absurd to suggest that women’s votes will be taken away or that this would solve the political problems that vex us. While I don’t think any class of people should be disenfranchised, I have little hope that voting will make things better," he later clarified. 

Something else that would no doubt be brought up would be Thiel's involvement in the case against Gawker earlier this year.

He personally paid the legal expenses for Hulk Hogan, who was suing Gawker over the publishing of his sex tape, giving up around $10 million of his own money to the cause. It was the culmination of years long vendetta against Gawker over a piece published in 2007 entitled, "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people."

When Thiel's actions came to light it set off a firestorm of controversy, with many, though not all, taking umbrage with the idea of a billionaire using his personal wealth to take down a media site that he has a personal grudge against. Even WaPo owner Jeff Bezos told Thiel that he should be spending his time in more constructive ways.

(Image source: vox.com)