Mark Zuckerberg met with US President-elect Donald Trump yesterday, Wednesday , and this meeting hid a lot.
For starters, it's the latest attempt by Meta 's chief executive to forge a positive relationship with Trump, who has long argued that Meta has unfairly cut him and other conservatives out of its social media apps, while also lashing out at Zuckerberg on social media and during his speeches.
The meeting was initiated by Mark Zuckerberg initially at Mar-a-Lago and then followed by dinner at Donald Trump's hotel. After the necessary "congratulations" on the victory in the American elections were said and compliments were exchanged, Trump and Zuckerberg agreed, but each had his own agenda.
" This is an important moment for the future of American innovation ," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. "Mark was grateful for the invitation to dine with President Trump and the opportunity to meet with members of his team regarding the incoming administration," he added.
But was that all?
Zuckerberg's approach comes at a time when he wants to protect Meta - which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - from any possible blow from the incoming administration. Meta has long been a target of conservatives in Washington, and some in Congress have called for curbs on what they see as censorship of conservative views.
But Trump has also personally called for Mark Zuckerberg to be jailed in retaliation for "conspiracy against him" during the 2020 election.
As Meta executives saw a Trump victory in the 2024 election coming, Zuckerberg spent the past 18 months trying to mend their relationship.
According to the New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg had at least two private phone conversations with Donald Trump over the summer, in one of which the tech mogul wished Trump well after the assassination attempt on him.
The goal is the "national renewal" of America
Stephen Miller , Trump's new deputy chief of staff for policy issues in his upcoming term, gave another interpretation of the meeting between the two men and said that Zuckerberg, like other businessmen, wants to support Trump's economic - and not only - plans.
"Mark, obviously, has his own interests, he has his own company and his own agenda," Miller said in an interview with Fox News about the meeting. But he has made it clear, and he has been very clear, that he wants to support the national renewal of America under Trump . To become a supporter and participant in this change that we are seeing across America and the world, with this reform movement that the president is leading."
For the record, Trump was banned from Facebook after the invasion of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, but after two years, in early 2023, the company reinstated his account.
Although he never endorsed any presidential candidate during the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg has since taken a more positive stance toward Trump. Last August, it even revealed that senior officials of the Biden administration "pressured" Meta to remove posts related to the coronavirus.
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