How much money has Peter Thiel donated to Donald Trump or Trumps super PACS
Executive summary
Peter Thiel gave a disclosed $1.25 million directly to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign [1] [2], and reporting suggests he gave roughly $1.5 million to pro‑Trump groups during the 2016 cycle more broadly [3]. In later cycles Thiel publicly distanced himself from fresh donations to Trump and said he would not give to Trump’s super PACs in 2024, though some reporting indicates he has continued to spend on conservative causes outside the campaign and may have made private donations to legal groups tied to Trump [2] [4] [5].
1. Direct, on‑record cash to Trump: the firm figure
The clearest, repeatedly cited figure is Thiel’s $1.25 million contribution to Trump’s 2016 campaign, first reported contemporaneously by Reuters and later reiterated by multiple outlets [1] [2]. That amount is the principal, on‑record donation to Trump personally that appears across the available reporting and donor databases cited in the sources [1] [2].
2. Broader 2016 cycle spending and the “pro‑Trump groups” number
Beyond the single $1.25 million campaign gift, at least one account aggregates Thiel’s 2016 cycle support to roughly $1.5 million in aid to pro‑Trump groups — a figure presented by a reporting source that distinguishes campaign contributions from outside‑group spending [3]. This indicates a modest additional layer of outside spending in 2016 beyond the direct campaign check, but the sources do not supply a line‑by‑line breakdown in this dossier [3].
3. Super PACs, later cycles and public vows to stand down
Thiel repeatedly signaled he would not bankroll Trump’s super PACs in subsequent cycles: he told audiences he would not give money to Trump’s super PAC and said he planned not to fund candidates in 2024, a position confirmed by Reuters and contemporaneous interviews [2] [6]. Newsweek and CNBC likewise reported Thiel saying he was “disinclined” to contribute to Trump or allied groups and that he would not give to super PACs [4] [2]. At the same time, other reporting chronicles Thiel’s large, partisan spending on MAGA‑aligned candidates in 2022 and subsequent political activity, underscoring that his withdrawal from direct Trump super PAC funding does not mean a full exit from political spending [7] [5].
4. Private payments, legal groups and reporting gaps
The New York Times reported that Thiel later “cut a private check to a pro‑Trump legal group,” but the reporting in the assembled sources does not disclose an exact amount or provide a filing that makes that payment publicly auditable in the same way campaign and PAC gifts are [5]. OpenSecrets maintains donor records and would be the clearinghouse for itemized, FEC‑filed contributions, but the specific sources provided here do not reproduce a comprehensive OpenSecrets total for every Thiel‑linked entity and year [8]. Therefore, the public, verifiable total to Trump campaigns and Trump super PACs that can be clearly cited from these sources is the $1.25 million direct 2016 campaign donation, with reports of roughly $1.5 million in 2016 pro‑Trump outside spending and possible undisclosed private payments noted but not fully documented in the available material [1] [3] [5].
5. Context matters: megadonor pattern and why the nuance is important
Thiel’s political giving has been large and concentrated — he spent tens of millions in 2022 to back allies like J.D. Vance and Blake Masters — and his pattern of intermittent support and public disavowals complicates any simple tally of “money to Trump” [7] [3]. Multiple sources underscore that Thiel has both publicly backed Trump and later signaled reluctance to fund Trump’s 2024 effort or its super PACs, while continuing to deploy large sums in GOP politics more broadly [2] [6] [7]. The bottom line from the reporting assembled here: $1.25 million is the clear, recorded donation to Trump’s 2016 campaign; additional 2016 outside‑group spending by Thiel is reported at roughly $1.5 million total for the cycle, and any private or later payments tied to Trump legal efforts have been reported but not fully itemized in the public disclosures cited [1] [3] [5].