A little more than a week before voters headed to the polls, entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel said something Republicans will be debating for at least the next four years. “No matter what happens in this election,” the PayPal co-founder said, “what Trump represents is not crazy and it’s not going away.”

Thiel, 49, is but one example of what an unusual election this has been. The gay Silicon Valley mogul was roundly criticized for supporting Donald Trump for president and speaking on his behalf at the Republican National Convention. He did it again at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., telling his Beltway audience why they were wrong about the campaign.