Meta donates $1.3m to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SAN FRANCISCO – Meta said on Dec 10 that it donated US$1 million (S$1.3 million) to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, in the latest move by Mr Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, to foster a positive rapport with Trump.
The Silicon Valley company did not provide details of why it made the donation, but the move came just weeks after Mr Zuckerberg met with Trump
During that meeting in November, the two men exchanged pleasantries and Mr Zuckerberg congratulated Trump on winning the presidency.
Mr Zuckerberg also had a meal with Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, according to a person who saw the meeting happen.
A Meta spokesman said at the time that Mr Zuckerberg was “grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner”.
The Meta donation was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Gifts to inaugural committees, which do not have contribution limits, are popular among businesses and individuals eager to curry favour with an incoming administration. Trump’s inaugural committee is offering top-tier benefits to donors who contribute US$1 million.
Mr Zuckerberg is one of many tech CEOs who have worked to forge direct relationships with Trump.
Even before the Nov 5 election, Mr Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai started reaching out to Trump, sometimes flattering him and criticising his opposition, as they aimed to put themselves in a position that could potentially benefit their businesses.
Trump previously had a strained relationship with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He had accused the company of restricting him and other conservative voices across its apps.
After the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, Meta blocked Trump on its platforms, though his accounts have since been reinstated.
Trump has also personally criticised Mr Zuckerberg
But over the summer, Mr Zuckerberg had at least two private phone calls with Trump.
In one call, Mr Zuckerberg wished Trump well and said he was “praying” for him after an assassination attempt
In an interview at the time, Mr Zuckerberg said Trump looked like a “badass” after being shot at the rally and pumping his fist to the crowd.
In a letter to Congress in August, Mr Zuckerberg publicly expressed regret around some of his previous political activity.
He said that in 2021, the Biden administration “pressured” Meta into censoring more Covid-19 content than he felt comfortable with. He added that would not repeat the contributions he made in 2020 to support electoral efforts because the gifts made him appear not “neutral”. NYTIMES
