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The most significant part of the recent interview between Barton Gellman and tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel for the Atlantic is Thiel’s decision to refrain from making campaign contributions. To date, he had been a major donor to Donald Trump, including supporting various U.S. Senate candidates. Thiel’s recent declaration that he is pulling back from campaign contributions ultimately disappointed Trump. In a call from April, Trump expressed his frustration to Thiel, indicating that he wanted the tech entrepreneur to donate significant amounts to his campaign.

The call from Trump has sparked controversy and may have violated federal campaign law according to Thiel. Federal regulations regarding campaign contributions do not appear to be a priority for Trump, as evidenced by previous encounters with payments to women in 2016, which resulted in a plea agreement for his lawyer Michael Cohen.

The purpose of these financial regulations is to prevent candidates from being subject to influence from large donors. They stipulate that federal candidates are constrained by limits on donations, while outside groups are allowed to make independent expenditures but cannot coordinate directly with the campaign.

Despite this alleged violation by Trump, it seems unlikely that any action will be taken. As a result, the revelation of this conversation by Thiel might incite further negative commentary from Trump.