Meta has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, accordingtoreports.
This donation comes just two weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met privately with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
CNN has noted that Zuckerberg is seeking a more active role in shaping the incoming administration’s tech policies, a shift from nearly four years ago when Meta banned Trump from its platforms following the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
In the lead-up to the election, Zuckerberg had shown a growing connection to Trump. In a summer interview, he called Trump’s reaction to a July assassination attempt “badass,” praising the former president’s resilience.
Several major tech executives, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Amazon’s Andy Jassy, also sought meetings with Trump ahead of the 2024 election. Trump has expressed pleasure in his improving relationship with tech leaders, often mentioning their conversations in public appearances and interviews. This is a stark contrast to previous years when Trump blamed tech companies for his 2020 loss, sparking Republican-led scrutiny of the industry.
Despite his past criticism, Trump has praised tech giants recently, including Meta, which he previously called an “enemy of the people” in a March CNBC interview. Trump also threatened to imprison “election fraudsters,” seemingly including Zuckerberg, in a July post on his Truth Social platform.
