Shaun Maguire, a partner at the renowned Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, took to X following Trump’s conviction on all 34 counts brought against him by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. He explained why he donated hundreds of thousands of dollars, emphasizing that this election is incredibly important and demands courage, even at the risk of losing friendships with those who align with the wrong side.
Maguire posted on the X platform, stating that he made a significant donation to Trump’s reelection campaign. He emphasized that his contribution was linked to the former president’s conviction in the case brought by DA Bragg. “I just donated $300k to President Trump,” posted Maguire. Continuing, Maguire added, “The timing isn’t a coincidence.”
Continuing, he explained the importance of the election, saying, “This is one of the most important elections” of his lifetime. He then explained, that, because of its importance, he’s even willing to lose friends if such is the cost of standing up for Trump. He explained, “I know that I’ll lose friends for this. Some will refuse to do business with me.”
Expanding on that point, he emphasized that he would probably not just lose friends, but also face media attacks. He wrote, “The media will probably demonize me, as they have so many others before me. But despite this, I still believe it’s the right thing to do.” He is willing to undergo it to exercise and defend his right to free speech. He wrote, “I refuse to live in a society where people are afraid to speak.”
Maguire also explained how his views on issues have shifted over the years. “Back in 2016 I had drunk the media Kool-Aid and was scared out of my mind about Trump. As such I donated to Hilary Clinton’s campaign and voted for her. By 2020 I was disillusioned and didn’t vote – I didn’t like either option. Now, in 2024, I believe this is one of the most important elections of my lifetime, and I’m supporting Trump.”
President Biden’s horrific departure from Afghanistan following the deaths of 13 U.S. military personnel was the last straw for the hedge fund manager. “August 16th, 2021 was the day I knew I could never support Joe Biden or any of the senior officials in his administration. This was the day that Afghans fell to their deaths from US C-17 airplanes at the Kabul International Airport, or KAIA as ISAF forces referred to it,” he wrote.
Later he added:
It wasn’t just Afghanistan; I believe that the Biden administration has had some of the worst foreign policy in decades. And this has manifested in two major Wars breaking out during their administration, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s proxy attack against Israel. Was the timing just bad luck? I don’t believe so. I believe that a weak America leads to a chaotic world.
The failed Afghanistan pull-out showed the weakness of the Biden administration. They failed to adapt to changing facts on the ground, chiefly the Afghan army putting up no resistance as the Taliban drove towards Kabul. If the US can’t adapt quickly in a theater where we’re already active, how can it react quickly to a blitz in a new theater, Ukraine? Granted the Russian’s botched their blitz, miscalculating the weather, almost certainly to keep China happy as they hosted the Olympics in Feb 2022.
Also, he said the lawfare Democrats are using to silence and jail Trump to keep him out of the 2024 race did it for him: “This is too broad of a topic to go into detail here, but suffice to say I’ve spent hundreds of hours following the trials and researching the charges against Trump. This has been another radicalizing experience. I understand that normally when there’s smoke there’s fire, but in this case I think when there’s smoke there’s lawfare.”
See also: Trump Ally Sends Republicans Playbook For Ending Biden ‘Election Interference Lawfare’
Concluding the X article, he wrote, “Speak up. Don’t be silenced. Freedom of speech is worth nothing if you’re afraid to use it. We can’t let cancel culture win. There’s no greater country in the world than America. But America has had a bad decade. America is blessed with a robust constitution, abundant natural resources and diverse people. The way out from here is by focusing on our strengths, which are liberalism and hard work. We need to start building again. Best of luck to President Trump.”
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.