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Mark Zuckerberg’s meta donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural event fund, the latest overture by the social media platform aimed at repairing relations with the US president-elect.
The donation is the first time Facebook’s owner has contributed to the inaugural fund, and comes at the expense of President Trump, who has previously accused Facebook of censoring right-wing voices and threatened to jail its chief executive. The donation was made in response to recent efforts to raise funds.
Last week, Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of international affairs, admitted the company “went a little too far” in hosting pandemic-related content, which was intended to allay the president-elect’s concerns. It seems that.
Mr Clegg also said Mr Zuckerberg was keen to take an active role in “the discussions that any administration needs to have to maintain American leadership in technology”, including in areas such as artificial intelligence. .
Executives in Silicon Valley, which Trump has traditionally considered a left-wing constituency, have been racing to court him since his election victory last month.
Key figures from the technology world have also found roles within his administration. X’s billionaire owner Elon Musk has become one of Trump’s closest advisers, and Musk’s close ally, Silicon Valley investor David Sachs, has been named the incoming administration’s artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Zuckerberg have had a rocky relationship, which worsened in 2020 when Mr. Mehta labeled and removed some of the then-president’s content, and after the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol. Mehta’s account was suspended in the wake of the riot.
In July, President Trump warned that if elected, he would “go after election offenders” and “send them to prison for a long time,” adding, “Watch out, Zuckerbucks!” In a clear reference to the CEO. That same month, Meta lifted restrictions on President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
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Earlier this year, Zuckerberg said he wanted Meta to be politically “neutral,” and the company reduced the prominence of political content across the app.
But in the months leading up to the election, Mr. Zuckerberg called President Trump’s response to the assassination attempt “disgusting” and sent a letter to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, saying that the Biden administration had called Mr. accused of repeated pressure to “censor” the country. Covid-19 content during the pandemic.
Most recently, he dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida, the first time since his election victory. Mehta later said Zuckerberg was “grateful” for the invitation, adding: “This is an important time for the future of American innovation.”
The donation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
