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Reddit Media Donald Trump

Oculus founder Palmer Luckey outed as Donald Trump meme-machine backer

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By John McCarthy | Opinion Editor

September 23, 2016 | 3 min read

Silicon Vallley millionaire Palmer Luckey has been exposed as the financial backer of a group looking to bolster support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump - using memes.

Palmer

Palmer

Luckey who made his fortune selling virtual reality company Oculus to Facebook was outed as ‘NimbleRichMan’ on Reddit, a user looking to support meme group Nimble America, by matching all donations submitted to the organisation.

In a now-deleted post on r/The_Donald – where Trump held a brief AMA several months back – NimbleRichMan said: “You and I are the same. We know Hillary Clinton is corrupt, a warmonger, a freedom-stripper. Not the good kind you see dancing in bikinis on Independence Day, the bad kind that strips freedom from citizens and grants it to donors.

“I reached out to the leaders of this community because I am doing everything I can to help make America great again. I have already donated significant funds to Nimble America, and will continue to do so. I need your help: For the next 48 hours, I will match your donations dollar for dollar. Donate $10 and I will match you by flying my jet a minute less.

“Donate a hundred and I will match you by skipping a glass of scotch. Donate a thousand and I will match by putting off the tire change on my car. Am I bragging? Will people be offended? Yes, but those people already hate Donald. They cannot stand to see successful people who are proud of their success.”

He urged viewers to generate success and “Make America great again with your meme magic”.

Luckey took responsibility for the drive telling the Daily Beast that the campaign sounded like a “jolly good time” and adding they he contacted the group over Facebook and vowed to support it.

Memes appear to be drawing big spend in this election cycle with a super-PAC backing Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson supposedly sinking $30,000 into meme investment back in August.

Luckey is not-the first Facebook affiliated tech millionaire to back Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal and an early Facebook investor, who bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s killer-blow libel campaign against Gawker also supports the candidate.

This is despite the tech industry being largely against Trump if campaign donation records are to be believed.

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