Shaun Maguire, a partner at the famous Silicon Valley Venture Capital (VC) firm Sequoia Capital, took to X after Trump’s conviction on all 34 counts brought against him by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to explain why he donated hundreds of thousands of dollars, explaining that this election is highly important and requires courage and a willingness to lose the friendship of those who side with the wrong side.
Posting on X, Maguire began by saying that he donated a huge sum to Trump’s reelection effort and that his donation was related to the conviction of the former president 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, due to 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.”
Building on that, he noted that he would likely not just lose friends, but also be attacked by the media, saying, “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.” Regardless, 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.”
Further, Maguire explained how his views have shifted over the years, writing, “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.”
Later in the on-X article, he explained how America’s ignominious retreat from Afghanistan led to his being unable to support Biden, saying, “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.”
Building on that later in the article, he noted, “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.”
He also explained how the lawfare campaign against Trump helped him change his mind, saying, “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.”
That, ultimately, is what led to his finally deciding to not just not support Biden, but go all in on supporting Trump despite his disagreements with most Republicans on issues like abortion and “domestic policy,” as he outlined after explaining how he became disillusioned with the Democratic Party and decided to leave it for former President Trump.
Concluding the powerful 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.”
Watch Trump speak about his battle with the Manhattan court, the one that led to Maguire’s massive donation, here:
Featured image credit: Sequoia Capital
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