Overview
- Palihapitiya told CNBC that he has done a complete 180 on President Trump and called him "fantastic" and "a great president" during a Squawk Box appearance on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
- He said the mainstream media mischaracterized Trump and wrote that "most of us were lied to by the media," citing the 2017 Charlottesville coverage as a specific example he re-evaluated.
- Palihapitiya said Trump called him after his change of view and that the two developed a cordial rapport, which he described as influencing his reassessment.
- On the same interview he named policy areas of agreement and disagreement, including support for Trump's stance on preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon and concerns about cuts to DOGE funding and university research rules.
- The episode highlights how investor-podcasters and tech financiers can shift political narratives quickly and draws attention to overlapping ties between that group and the administration, including colleagues like David Sacks who served in a recent White House role.