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Peter Thiel has everything. Maybe he just wants to be 19 again.

The Blaze
3 weeks ago


I went to see Peter Thiel deliver one of his "Antichrist" lectures in Nashville, Tennessee, recently.

It was held in the Grand Lodge of the Masonic Temple of Freemasons, a beautiful old building just up the street from Nashville’s famous Broadway strip.

To my right were two enthusiastic Indian men in their mid-20s. I didn’t talk to them, but they seemed like girls at a Taylor Swift concert.

Doors opened at five, the lecture started at six. I wanted to be there early for maximum people-watching. I was curious who exactly was going to these lectures.

Peter Thiel was a member of the original “PayPal mafia," so he’s of obvious interest to techies. Since PayPal, he’s continued to build and invest in other tech projects, most recently Palantir, which has been controversial. (Some people worry about its surveillance possibilities.)

Thiel is also a notable conservative and has generously contributed to like-minded political and cultural causes. Rumors often swirl among right-leaning creatives and artists, who among them might be getting precious “Thiel bucks.”

Apocalypse-maxxing

But now, with his fortune made and his iconic status locked in, Thiel had branched out into a new area: religious and philosophical discourse.

In his "Antichrist" lectures, Thiel was discussing the philosophical ramifications of a world dictator — as described in the New Testament — who would inevitably rise up in a climate of constant fearmongering and societal decline.

So would the attendees of Thiel’s lectures be students of philosophy and biblical history? Well, probably not.

I suspected most Thiel fans were still mostly fascinated by his vast wealth and technological genius, his relationship with Elon Musk, his thoughts on late-Trumpism. Things like that.

But if he wanted to talk about Aristotle and biblical prophecy, well OK, they were willing to hear about that.

Young and conservative in America

I pulled up in my Uber in front of the Grand Lodge. Attendees were mingling on the steps outside, along with an impressive amount of security personnel.

As with most conservative events, there were a lot of young men dressed in coats and ties. They too were gathered on the front stairs, as cars and ride-shares pulled up, delivering more guests for the event. It looked a little like a movie premiere at times.

I passed through security and entered the building. Inside, there was more security and an airport-style screening machine. More young men in coats and ties were gathered there as well.

I noticed how happy everyone looked. For these guys, living under the constant weight of wokeism (even in Tennessee), tonight was a moment of unity and camaraderie.

You could see it in their faces. What a relief it was to come together like this. Especially around a figure like Peter Thiel, a shining example of conservative competence, excellence, and success.

VIP seating

I eventually made it to my seat in the VIP section. I introduced myself to the man on my left. He was a pastor and had recently run for governor in his state but lost in the Republican primary.

To my right were two enthusiastic Indian men in their mid-20s. I didn’t talk to them, but they seemed like girls at a Taylor Swift concert, anxious and impatient to see their hero in the flesh.

I have to admit, I was excited too. It was fun being in that room. I kept scanning the audience. Smart, good-looking people everywhere. Everyone buzzing with anticipation ...

White vs. black

Without fanfare, Thiel came to the podium and began his talk. People settled in. He mostly read his lecture, which wasn’t ideal, but he was engaging. And there were some funny bits.

I found his attire interesting. He was dressed all in white: white T-shirt, white skinny jeans, futuristic white sneakers. What does that mean? I wondered.

For that matter, why is the Antichrist such an important concept for Thiel? How does it relate to him?

Leftist critics say these lectures are a way for Thiel to strike back at those who would try to restrict Palantir. Others wonder if Thiel will become an “Antichrist” himself, if Palantir becomes an invasive surveillance apparatus.

Either way, if he’s dressing all in white, Thiel must think of himself as the “good guy.”

Remembrance of things past

Another thought I had: Peter Thiel was a philosophy major at Stanford as an undergrad, after which he went to Stanford Law School, where he began his pursuit of money, power, and influence.

What if now that he has achieved so much, he feels isolated and alone and nostalgic for his pre-celebrity youth?

What if the best memories of his life were those years at Stanford, where, while still a teenager, he spent late nights with his fellow philosophy students talking about “stoicism” and “ethics” and “the ultimate purpose of life”?

What if those undergrad days were the last moments of innocence and genuine intellectual curiosity he had before feeding himself into the capitalist technology machine?

Maybe this lecture series was his attempt to return to those carefree days, when he didn’t have to travel with a security detail, before he was forced into the technocratic hero/villain roles he will never escape.

Maybe Peter Thiel wants to be 19 again. A student. A lover of knowledge. Without all the baggage his fame and fortune have forced on him.

Blake Nelson

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Democrat's mother calls her a 'liar,' tells Ohioans not to vote for her in damning video

The Blaze
3 weeks ago


Democrat Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton is leading Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the polls by 3.6 percentage points with Election Day just two weeks away. It appears, however, that Acton's mother may have thrown Ramaswamy a lifeline.

D.J. Byrnes, an Ohio political blogger who was found guilty of sexual harassment earlier this month for sending a pornographic image of Shrek to Republican state Sen. Jerry Cirino, reported last week on "rumblings" that Ramaswamy had "co-opted Dr. Amy Acton's estranged mother for an endorsement video."

'If you think she'll make your life better, you're fooling yourself.'

Ohio Gubernatorial polls 2026: Acton vs. Ramaswamy.pollwatch.theblaze.com

On Monday night, an X account affiliated with Byrnes shared a minute-long ad featuring a woman who identifies herself as Donna Arthur, "Amy Acton's mother." Acton's campaign confirmed that the woman in the video is the Democrat's mother.

Acton's mother states in the video:

I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent, and it's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. She lies about her past. She says she grew up living in a tent. None of that is true.

Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health who earned the moniker "Dr. Lockdown" by curtailing basic liberties during the pandemic in the Buckeye State, has long shared a bootstrap sob story about growing up in a dysfunctional family from Youngstown, living in a tent, alleged molestation, and moving around the country.

"Homelessness is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart," the Democrat told the Toledo Blade in 2020. "It is something I experienced as a kid."

Acton said in a 2020 interview with WKBN-TV that she lived in 18 different places by the time she was 12; was stigmatized as a child because she was "dirty and smelly"; and was fed by strangers who knew that she and her brother "were hungry."

RELATED: Senior Michigan Democrats make announcement sure to give El-Sayed an ulcer: 'Party loyalty is not blind obedience'

Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The pro-abortion Democrat's campaign site presently claims that "Amy Acton faced a difficult childhood. She overcame periods of abuse, hunger, and neglect, and even wound up living in a tent in the middle of winter. That challenging upbringing molded the values and determination that have shaped a career dedicated to lifting others."

"She's lied her entire life," Arthur says in the video.

"My daughter needs help, and she can't help you if she needs help herself. People can change, but first they have to tell the truth, and my daughter still isn't doing that," Arthur continues. "Don't vote for people who lie. Don't let her become your governor. If you think she'll make your life better, you're fooling yourself. It will only get worse."

Ramaswamy's campaign and Arthur did not respond by deadline to Blaze News' requests for comment.

The Acton campaign has released a statement from Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, noting, "It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at 12 years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point."

"After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died," continued Stearns. "This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core — a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants."

Acton's estranged mother has previously cast doubt on the Democrat's origin story.

Donna Arthur told the pro-life organization Operation Rescue in 2020 that after leaving Acton's biological father because he was allegedly abusive, she was a single mom for several years.

During this time, Arthur claimed that her family was never homeless and always fed. She claimed further that instead of living in 18 locations, they lived in only four homes until her remarriage, after which time there were only two additional moves.

A cleaner version of the video was shared by Walter Curt, Ohio state director of the Conservative Caucus, and has since gone viral online.

Conservative author Rod Dreher wrote, "Well, I guess that's one lady who's not going to get a Mother's Day card next year! Holy cow!"

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell noted, "Nobody enjoys hearing a mother say these things about her child. Arthur says she loves her daughter, and there is no reason to doubt her. Speaking out against your own child in a statewide race carries a heavy personal cost, and Arthur chose to bear it anyway."

"Ohio cannot afford a governor who rewrites her own history when it suits her," continued Blackwell. "The woman who has known Amy Acton longer than anyone is warning that she does."

Arthur's claims about her daughter needing help come a month after a Washington Examiner report highlighted concerns about Acton's mental stability in her previous role as Ohio's top health official.

According to interviews with current and former state government workers, Acton allegedly: missed so many crucial meetings about COVID while director of the Ohio Department of Health that Republican Gov. Mike DeWine asked about her whereabouts; was once found "curled up" in the fetal position on the floor prior to an emergency response meeting; was observed "constantly crying on the job"; and "acted passive-aggressively toward subordinates who said something she disagreed with."

The Acton campaign denied the claims in the Examiner report, calling them "disgusting lies and desperate mischaracterizations."

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Joseph MacKinnon