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It’s grand to be a big Trump donor. The White House is at your beck and call.
Just take it from Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook executive turned venture capitalist. He used to be a big donor to Democrats but has recently doffed a MAGA cap, helping raise millions for Trump.
A part owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, Palihapitiya is also a prolific podcaster, and on April 8, he was a guest on the Flagrant podcast. With a tone-deafness that surprised even other panelists, Palihapitiya described how his big-dollar donations to Democrats hadn’t provided him with direct access to decision makers at the White House, but that Trump & Co. now jump to attention anytime he has a concern.
“I was a lifelong Democrat,” Palihapitiya recalled. “I was a megadonor to the Democrats — you know, like, dinner-with-Obama level donor. OK? I couldn’t get a fucking phone call returned from the White House to save my life.”
Palihapitiya contrasted that to the current MAGA White House. “The Trump administration is totally different,” he insisted. “There’s not a single person there you can’t get on the phone and talk to.”
The Silicon Valley bigwig then gave a recent example. “A friend of mine’s company was really impacted with these tariffs in a bad way. And I was able to call the deputy chief of staff. And I said, ‘Hey, can you talk to the CEO?” Palihapitiya said, making an apparent reference to Trump. He then snapped his fingers. “He’s like, instantly, putting me on the phone.”
Palihapitiya gave $300,000 directly to elect Trump in 2024, according to FEC records, and also co-hosted a fundraiser of Silicon Valley heavy hitters that raised $12 million to propel Trump’s return to the White House. He’s getting what he paid for. “I really give them a lot of respect,” he said. “You can pick up the phone and talk to these people.”
Palihapitiya then returned to his ego-bruising experience of dealing with Democratic officeholders who took his money. “I was like a senior person at Facebook — could never get a meeting. Then, when I was running an investment fund — successful — I had dinner with Obama. But it was under the purposes of, Should I donate to the foundation?” Palihapitiya ended this tale of disrespect with the capper: “I’ve donated millions of dollars to Democrats … never been to the Oval.”
Hearing the Silicon Valley moneyman recount this tale of foiled access, a panelist on the show pushed back, playing devil’s advocate. “Should being a mega donor [come with a direct line of access]?” he asked. “Couldn’t it also just be, like, ‘No. We’re not going to be biased just because a person donated money. We’re not going to just answer the phone whenever he calls?’”
Palihapitiya was nonplussed, emphasizing how smart he was, how he’d been paying his taxes, and how he had “been in the grind” for 25 years. Becoming somewhat agitated he insisted: “I wasn’t trying to favor myself. It’s like even just to explain — like here’s what’s happening on the ground.”
Palihapitiya did not immediately respond to a Rolling Stone request for an interview.
Palihapitiya also shared on the podcast that it’s not just phone access that he’s now enjoying. “Here it’s like: “Hey come to the White House, Explain these issues. Now.’ You get on a plane, you get over there. And they’re like ‘Explain it.’ And then they’ll debate it.”
While his ego is now at ease, Palihapitiya also confessed that his own financial situation is challenged by Trump’s actions to disrupt the national economy, suggesting that his investment in Trump remains a mixed bag.
“I think my companies — some of them — are in real trouble,” Palihapitiya said, adding. “You know, there’s going to be pain.”
