Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund as he tries to shore up relations with the incoming administration.
The donation is a blatant effort by Zuckerberg to try and curry favor with the incoming president after years of trying to undermine the MAGA movement and supporting progressive causes.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news:
The donation, confirmed by the company, is a departure from past practice by Zuckerberg and his company, and comes after an election campaign in which Trump threatened to punish the tech tycoon if he tried to influence the election against him.
The contribution and efforts to court the incoming administration are emblematic of the balancing act for technology CEOs whose companies have often been the target of ire from Trump and other Republicans and whose workforces tend to lean strongly to the left.
Now, with Republicans set to take control of the White House and both houses of Congress and calling for new regulation of tech, some executives are adopting a new posture toward Trump.
The Presidential Inaugural Fund (PIF) is a private, non-profit fund used to finance the official events surrounding the inauguration of the President and Vice President. These events typically include the swearing-in ceremony, inaugural parade, inaugural balls, concerts, and other related events.
Zuckerberg’s donation comes after he met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, although it was not clear specifically what issues the two men discussed.
Is Mark Zuckerberg Joining Team MAGA? Facebook Founder Meets with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Despite bankrolling liberal causes and censoring conservative publications such as The Gateway Pundit and even Donald Trump himself, Zuckerberg has appeared to try and distance himself from his past left-wing advocacy.
Mark Zuckerberg’s platform is actively censoring conservatives right now BTW. https://t.co/NlBGGZqxpz
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) December 12, 2024
In an interview with Bloomberg earlier this year, Zuckerberg admitted earlier this year that Trump’s response to the assassination attempt against him was one of the most “badass” things he had ever seen.
“Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said at the time.
“On some level as an American, it’s like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that’s why a lot of people like the guy,” he continued.
