Meta Platforms confirmed on Thursday through its spokesperson that it has donated $1 million to US President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund. This decision was a significant step in changing the company’s position, which had previously refrained from supporting any candidate. The initiative was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which noted that the donation was a departure from the practices of Meta and its co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg, who had previously refused to publicly endorse either Trump or Joe Biden in this year’s presidential election, had a reserved stance on political leaders, even before Biden dropped out of the race to run for Vice President Kamala Harris. Zuckerberg has also been critical of Trump over his response to the July 13 assassination attempt, calling it “one of the toughest phases” he has seen in his relationship with Trump.
Despite past disagreements, Zuckerberg met with Trump in late November after the 2020 election. The New York Times interpreted this meeting as another attempt by the Meta CEO to restore a positive relationship with the former US president, after the interaction between Trump and Meta deteriorated significantly after the 2020 election.
Amid criticism of Meta, which was accused by Trump of suppressing content that could have negatively affected his campaign, the company decided to block Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years following the events of January 2021, when the Capitol was stormed.
The $1 million donation is part of Meta’s new strategy to repair its relationship with Trump and address the growing pressure from both political camps.
