Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Meta, has expressed a desire to play an active role in the debate over the future administration of Donald Trump. This was reported by Business Insider. Despite the fact that Trump had previously called Zuckerberg a “sycophant” and even threatened to imprison him, the relationship between them seems to be changing.
The announcement was made by Nick Clegg, a former British politician and now Meta’s president of global affairs. In his commentary, he said:
“Mark is very interested in playing an active role in the debate that any administration needs to maintain US leadership in technology, especially in the context of the key role of artificial intelligence,” The Verge quoted Clegg as saying.
Clegg refrained from giving details about possible talks between Zuckerberg and the Trump team, but added that “the conversations are currently at a fairly high level”. According to sources, in late November, Trump invited Zuckerberg to dinner at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
A new chapter in a difficult relationship
Journalists have pointed out that the current contacts between Zuckerberg and Trump represent a dramatic change in their relationship. In 2021, Facebook (now part of Meta) blocked Trump’s account after the storming of the Capitol on 6 January. At the time, the company said that the former president’s statements incited violence.
In response, Trump has repeatedly criticised Zuckerberg, calling his actions “shameless” and accusing Meta of supporting Democrats. During the 2024 campaign, Trump even promised to prosecute “election tamperers”, including Zuckerberg, whom he jokingly called “Zuckerbucks”.
“He used to come to the White House all the time and flatter me, but look what they did to me and the Republicans!” Trump said in an interview with Fox News in 2021.
Despite the past conflicts, Zuckerberg is apparently determined to resume a dialogue with the incoming administration. His main goal is to promote American leadership in the field of artificial intelligence, which may become one of the key issues on the political agenda in the coming years.
