Updated
2024-12-13T13:25:36Z
- President-elect Donald Trump and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg mightiness beryllium cooling their long-simmering feud.
- Zuckerberg and Trump dined astatine Mar-a-Lago and Meta donated $1 cardinal to Trump's inaugural fund.
- Here's a look astatine nan timeline of Trump and Zuckerberg's rivalry.
Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg breaking breadstuff together whitethorn person marked nan opening of a caller section successful their relationship.
Last month, Trump and Zuckerberg shared a Thanksgiving eve repast astatine nan president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump antecedently threatened to jailhouse nan Meta CEO if he won nan 2024 election, illustrating conscionable really important their tête-à-tête mightiness be.
Now, Meta has donated $1 cardinal to Trump's inaugural fund.
Trump and his blimpish friends person agelong criticized Zuckerberg, putting nan caput of 1 of nan nation's largest companies nether a microscope astatine a captious time.
"It's an important clip for nan early of American Innovation. Mark was grateful for nan invitation to subordinate President Trump for meal and nan opportunity to meet pinch members of his squad astir nan incoming Administration," a spokesperson for Meta antecedently said successful a connection to Business Insider, confirming nan dinner.
Meta is facing an antitrust proceedings adjacent year. There's bipartisan support for a awesome rewrite of Section 230, a rule that shields Big Tech companies from liability. Zuckerberg has antecedently supported changing Section 230, but his institution could beryllium dramatically affected by really nan rule is changed.
Like galore successful Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg quickly expressed interest for Trump aft he survived a July assassination attempt. Trump reciprocated by falsely claiming Zuckerberg endorsed him. However, it was a awesome departure from threatening to jailhouse nan tech executive if he tried to power nan 2024 campaign.
Here's a look astatine really their narration evolved complete nan years.
Trump and Zuckerberg person met connected aggregate occasions.
They had a antecedently unannounced gathering astatine nan White House successful September 2019.
"Mark is successful Washington, D.C., gathering pinch policymakers to perceive their concerns and talk astir early net regulation. He besides had a good, constructive gathering pinch President Trump astatine nan White House today," a Meta spokesperson said astatine nan time.
"Nice gathering pinch Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook successful nan Oval Office today," Trump said of their meeting.
Trump and Zuckerberg met again nan pursuing month.
Trump, Zuckerberg, and Peter Thiel had a concealed dinner successful October 2019.
Thiel, who cofounded PayPal and Palantir, was nan first extracurricular investor successful Facebook; he was a vocal protagonist of Trump successful nan 2016 statesmanlike election.
"We talked astir a number of things that were connected his mind, and immoderate of nan topics that you publication astir successful nan news astir our work," Zuckerberg said of nan meal successful an question and reply pinch "CBS This Morning."
Zuckerberg was successful DC to attest earlier Congress astir Facebook's cryptocurrency, Libra.
Trump has said he would've banned Facebook while president, but Zuckerberg "kept calling" him.
In 2021, Trump praised Nigeria for banning Twitter.
"More COUNTRIES should prohibition Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and unfastened reside — each voices should beryllium heard," Trump said successful a connection astatine nan time.
"Perhaps I should person done it while I was President," he added. "But Zuckerberg kept calling maine and coming to nan White House for meal telling maine really awesome I was."
Nigeria lifted its prohibition connected Twitter aft 7 months.
As of July 2024, nan institution has lifted its last restrictions connected Trump's relationship successful nan run-up to nan November statesmanlike election.
In July, Meta removed nan further guardrails that remained successful spot connected Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts pursuing their reinstatement.
"In assessing our work to let governmental expression, we judge that nan American group should beryllium capable to perceive from nan nominees for President connected nan aforesaid basis," Meta said successful a statement astatine nan time. "As a result, erstwhile President Trump, arsenic nan nominee of nan Republican Party, will nary longer beryllium taxable to nan heightened suspension penalties."
Meta added that it would "review accounts taxable to this protocol connected a periodic ground to find whether heightened suspension penalties for Community Standards violations stay appropriate."
Trump has expressed liking successful suing Facebook.
"We should beryllium suing Google and Facebook and each that," he said successful a June 2019 interview pinch Fox Business. "Which, possibly we will."
Trump made nan remarks successful nan discourse of fines nan European Union has levied against large tech firms for illustration Google for breaching nan bloc's antitrust rules.
In 2021, Trump did conscionable that.
Trump revenge suit against Facebook, Google, Twitter, and nan companies' respective CEOs successful July 2021, alleging they unlawfully censor him and different conservatives.
In May 2022, Trump's suit against Twitter was dismissed.
So acold successful 2024, Zuckerberg has said Trump's guidance to being changeable astatine a rally successful Butler, Pennsylvania, was "badass."
Zuckerberg expressed awe complete Trump's consequence to getting shot.
"Seeing Donald Trump get up aft getting changeable successful nan look and pump his fist successful nan aerial pinch nan American emblem is 1 of nan astir badass things I've ever seen successful my life," Zuckerberg told Bloomberg of nan attempted Trump assassination. "On immoderate level arsenic an American, it's for illustration difficult to not get benignant of affectional astir that tone and that fight, and I deliberation that that's why a batch of group for illustration nan guy."
But nan Meta CEO said he wasn't readying to endorse immoderate campaigner for president this predetermination cycle.
Trump had threatened to imprison Zuckerberg.
In July, Trump said he'd prosecute "Election Fraudsters" if re-elected and that they'd "be sent to situation for agelong periods of time."
"We already cognize who you are. DON'T DO IT! ZUCKERBUCKS, beryllium careful!" Trump wrote connected Truth Social astatine nan time.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated astir $400 cardinal to nonprofits successful 2020 to thief authorities and section governments behaviour a statesmanlike predetermination during an unprecedented pandemic. Republicans person remained furious complete nan donations. Meta has many times tried to repair relationships, but galore successful nan GOP stay incensed moreover though there's nary grounds that nan costs favored Democrats.
Amid continued disapproval of his donations, Zuckerberg announced he would not make a akin publication up of nan 2024 election.
Trump mentioned Zuckerberg successful his book, "Save America," and didn't mince words.
Politico reported that Trump included a image of himself pinch nan Meta CEO, pinch nan caption, "He would bring his very bully woman to dinners, beryllium arsenic bully arsenic anyone could be, while ever plotting to instal shameful Lock Boxes successful a existent PLOT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT."
It's unclear erstwhile Trump wrote nan caption, though he appears to beryllium referring to a $420 cardinal publication Zuckerberg and his woman made to money predetermination infrastructure successful 2020.
Zuckerberg quickly congratulated Trump connected his 2024 win.
Like different major CEOs, Zuckerberg quickly praised Trump aft it became evident that nan erstwhile president had won nan 2024 election.
"Congratulations to President Trump connected a decisive victory. We person awesome opportunities up of america arsenic a country," Zuckerberg wrote connected Threads connected November 6. "Looking guardant to moving pinch you and your administration."
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