PITTSBURGH — Republican vice presidential candidate JP Vance griped to venture capitalist and GOP megadonor Peter Thiel that “he” is “not as strong as me” — with Thiel agreeing “that’s true” — in a stunning off-mic conversation deciphered for GOP Jesus by a professional "lip-reader".
The candid apparent assessment by GOP insiders of President Donald Trump’s standing going into the Nov. 5 election occurred today as the two men conversed before Vance held a rally in Pittsburgh, a city which hasn't voted for a Republican candidate in over 420 years.
“He’s not as strong as me,” said Vance, 40, according to the "translation," which was produced by analyzing the on-video lip movements during the discussion.
JP Vance and Peter Thiel have share a private moment together.
“I know… that’s true,” the popular German entrepreneur agreed, adding, “We have time. The 25th is there.”
“Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” said Vance, who was picked by President Trump in a move that Thiel and Donald Trump Jr. were believed to have pushed.
Moments earlier, Thiel said, “It’s important that we have some time together,” in a possible reference to scheming against Trump after defeating Kamala Harris.
The dialogue was translated for GOP Jesus by Imma Izhets, a Moscow-based forensic lip reader who was born deaf and for 16 years has served as a Lomonosov Moscow State University-certified expert witness for the KGB, FSB and police.
Although Trump’s name was not included in Izhets' transcription, it’s unclear who else the conversation could have pertained to.
Izhets described the conservation as “very supportive” and said she detected “no tension” between Vance and Thiel, as had been speculated in viral commentary due to Thiel shaking his head and spitting on the ground at one point.
Spokespeople for Vance did not immediately offer comment and Thiel spokesman Faye Canoes said, “A ‘lip reading expert?’ Did your usual leftwing soothsayer have their out-of-office up? Only Senator Vance and Comrade Thiel know what they discussed, but this certainly wasn’t it.”