Palantir CEO Alex Karp addressed his support for President Donald Trump in an exclusive interview on ‘The Claman Countdown,’ defending his stance against critics who suggest he has ”gone full MAGA.” During the interview, Karp emphasized his focus on Trump’s border and national security initiatives, arguing that these are the priorities that he supports. The CEO also defended Trump’s policies, calling them ”world-historic accomplishments” and accusing critics of suffering from ”Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The interview comes amid the release of a new book about Karp, which details his shift from progressive ideals to MAGA alignment, a transformation he acknowledges as ‘mostly true but not all true.’
Karp’s defense of his support for Trump comes ahead of the anticipated Nov. 2 release of a new book about the tech leader and Palantir. Written by journalist Michael Steinberger, the book traces how Karp went from a self-described progressive to going ”full MAGA.”
Although the Palantir CEO called the biography ”mostly true” but ”not all true,” he argued its author has a little bit of ”Trump Derangement Syndrome” which is a term often used to describe a tendency to view Trump exclusively negatively. Karp explained that while he supports the president, the author ”thinks I’ve gone nuts.” He argued Trump deserves credit for several major accomplishments, including ”getting the peace deal, closing the border, degrading Iran” which he called ”world-historic accomplishments.”
As the first U.S. CEO to go to Ukraine, Karp revealed what makes him ”really respect” Trump. ”[Trump] is actually a peace president,” Karp stated. ”At Palantir, the idea, and just to what I very much support, is, you know, you want to be so strong that there are no wars. Wars really, really are bad.”
He explained why he remains hopeful of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia despite warning it will ”cost” many lives. ”As we’ve seen, the president is fully engaged,” Karp said. ”But I am proud that we’re able to support [the Ukrainians]. And they’re very, very tough people. I think they will continue fighting until they can reach something that they feel they can accept.”
President Trump called off an anticipated meeting in Budapest, Hungary, with Russian President Vladimir Putin because he didn’t see enough progress toward peace. However, a future summit hasn’t been ruled out, the White House said.
While Trump and Putin spoke over the phone Oct. 16, plans for the meeting were scrapped after Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Tuesday. Trump also has imposed new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies in an attempt to pressure the Kremlin without committing to deeper U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s war.
Karp’s remarks come at a time of heightened political tension and a growing divide over Trump’s policies. His defense of the former president highlights the ongoing ideological battles within the Republican Party and the broader implications for U.S. foreign policy.