In an effort to strengthen his previously tense relationship with the outgoing president, Meta Platforms has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.
The donation, which the company confirmed, is a departure from Zuckerberg and his company’s previous practices. It follows an election campaign in which Trump promised to punish the internet magnate if he attempted to sway the outcome against him.
An example of the balancing act for technology CEOs whose companies have frequently been the target of ire from Trump and other Republicans and whose workforces tend to tilt firmly to the left is the contribution and efforts to court the incomtration.
Some executives are taking a different stance toward Trump now that Republicans are expected to assume control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and are demanding additional regulations for the technology industry.
In addition to congratulating Trump on X following the election for “an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who has long been an opponent of the president-elect, stated this month that he is “actually very optimistic this time around.”
“What I’ve seen so far is that he is calmer than he was the first time and more confident, more settled,” he said during a New York Times conference.
Zuckerberg’s attempts to deepen their relationship, which had started years earlier, included a November dinner with Trump on the patio of his exclusive Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago, that was centered on fostering general relationships.
The dinner marked the conclusion of a two-day whirlwind of Zuckerberg adviser meetings at Mar-a-Lago. According to those with knowledge of the situation, incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles met with senior Meta policy executives Joel Kaplan and Kevin Martin as well as Republican strategist Brian Baker.
In addition to meeting with three senior in-coming White House officials, James Blair, Vince Haley, and Stephen Miller, Zuckerberg and his advisors also met with Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state.
According to those familiar with the discussions, Zuckerberg offered Trump a private demonstration of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses before dinner, which he presented as a gift to the president-elect.
According to one person, Zuckerberg’s team informed the inaugural fund before the dinner that Meta intended to make a donation.
According to federal campaign finance filings, Zuckerberg has mainly avoided presidential contests and has supported congressional candidates in both parties throughout the years.
According to public records, neither Zuckerberg nor Meta made contributions to President Biden’s fund in 2021 nor to Trump’s inaugural fund in 2017. Less than a dozen significant corporations contributed $1 million to each of those funds.
No Comment! Be the first one.