The New York Times reports:
The British tourist who answered the door of a third-floor apartment had no idea she was staying at the residence of one of the world’s richest men. Peter Thiel, the billionaire and Republican political patron, has declared the two-bedroom apartment that he rents himself as his address while he works toward a goal he has pursued for about a year: becoming a citizen of the tiny island nation of Malta, according to documents viewed by The New York Times.
Mr. Thiel, 55, is in the process of acquiring at least his third passport even as he expands his financial influence over American politics. Since backing Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the technology investor has become one of the largest individual donors in the midterm elections next month, spending more than $30 million on more than a dozen right-wing Congressional candidates who have decried globalization and pledged to put America first.
Read the full article.
Malta effectively sells its citizenships to the world’s wealthy for €500,000. Thiel already holds citizenship in New Zealand, where he is building a compound in a remote valley.
As you may know, there have been many think pieces in recent years about the uber-wealthy building “scram palaces” in remote regions in the event of a global catastrophe like nuclear war.
Thiel, who is obsessed with life extension, is also the main funder of the Seasteading Institute, which seeks to build autonomous floating cities that would be free from any pesky banking laws.
Peter Thiel, one of the biggest political donors in the U.S., is trying to become a citizen of Malta, documents show. He is in the process of acquiring at least his third passport. https://t.co/8SCuIr1FvY
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 15, 2022
The woman who greeted me at the apartment door had no idea who rented or owned the place. She was a tourist and her family had booked it for a vacation.
I went back to my hotel and eventually found the place on Airbnb. pic.twitter.com/LO34mz1Sux
— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) October 15, 2022
The owner of the flat is a lawyer, and his firm deals with passport matters. He wouldn’t tell me why he listed the place on Airbnb.
Maltese law says a passport applicant’s residence cannot be rented or subleased over an application period. So we’ll see if Thiel gets citizenship.
— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) October 15, 2022
If he does get it, Thiel would have US, New Zealand and Maltese passports.
He would also have to pledge an oath of allegiance: “I solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the People and the Republic of Malta and its Constitution.”https://t.co/qIjXthsvkf
— Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) October 15, 2022