Friday, 27 December 2024

Zuckerberg’s Meta Donates $1 Million To Trump’s Inaugural Fund


Trump Zuckerberg

Meta has donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund amid CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s push to win favor with the president elect just weeks before he takes office.

A company spokesperson confirmed the contribution which is being seen as part of a move by Zuckerberg to improve his historically tense relationship with the incoming president.

Zuckerberg says he wants to play an “active role” in shaping tech regulations under Trump’s administration. He has even admitted the social media giant “overdid it a bit” while moderating pandemic-related content.

RT reports: Trump and Zuckerberg had dinner at the Mar-a-Lago resort last week. In a recent press call, Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said Zuckerberg wanted to take an “active role” in the US administration’s tech policy decisions. The CEO intends to engage in the debate around maintaining America’s leadership in technology, especially regarding artificial intelligence, Clegg said.

Trump used Facebook and Instagram platforms extensively during his first term in office, until his accounts were suspended following the January 6 riot at the US Capitol in 2021 due to concerns that he would incite further violence by denying Biden’s election victory.

While Trump’s accounts were reinstated in 2023, he has continued to express frustration with Zuckerberg. In March, he referred to Meta as the “enemy of the people,” later suggesting the tech mogul should be jailed for alleged election interference.

In an attempt to repair the relationship and position himself more closely to the incoming Trump administration, Zuckerberg has publicly praised the president-elect’s “badass” reaction to an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally in July. Zuckerberg also called Trump this summer to apologize for incorrectly labeling photos of him with a fact check.

There are no limits on donations to Trump’s committee. It is structured as a political nonprofit for tax purposes. However, contributions over $200 must be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission. Trump’s first inauguration committee raised $107 million in 2016 and 2017.


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