Mark Zuckerberg’s latest overtures to President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration mark a striking pivot for Meta and its CEO, who has often been a target of Trump’s fiery critiques.
From being labeled “Zuckerschmuck” to having Facebook branded as “the enemy of the people,” Zuckerberg and Trump have hardly seen eye to eye. But as Trump prepares to take office, Zuckerberg seems intent on repositioning Meta as a key player in shaping tech policy under the new administration.
In a press briefing, Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, revealed Zuckerberg’s enthusiasm for engaging in policy debates, particularly around artificial intelligence.
“He’s keen to have an active role in the debates that any administration needs to have about maintaining America’s leadership in the technological sphere … and particularly the pivotal role that AI will play,” Clegg said. This statement follows a reported dinner between Zuckerberg and Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where Zuckerberg sought to discuss the administration’s tech agenda. While Meta has not disclosed specifics, the company described Zuckerberg as “grateful for the invitation.”
Meta’s shift in tone is striking given the strained history between the platform and Trump. The president-elect has long accused Facebook of suppressing conservative voices, and the tension escalated further in July when Trump’s allies accused the platform of burying news about an attempted assassination at a campaign rally. But Zuckerberg appears determined to mend fences, particularly as the AI arms race intensifies and Meta vies for influence against rivals like Elon Musk.
Zuckerberg’s newfound willingness to engage Trump is accompanied by admissions of past missteps. Clegg acknowledged that Meta’s content moderation policies during the pandemic were overzealous, removing innocuous or satirical content in error. This follows Zuckerberg’s bombshell revelation that the Biden administration pressured Facebook to censor COVID-19-related content, including memes and jokes.
In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Zuckerberg expressed regret for not pushing back harder against such government pressure. “I believe that the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” he wrote.
These revelations suggest a recalibration at Meta, as it seeks to navigate a political landscape shaped by heightened scrutiny of Big Tech. With Trump returning to power and Elon Musk emerging as a close adviser on tech policy, Zuckerberg’s path forward is fraught with challenges.
Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), has often clashed with Zuckerberg, and Trump’s opposition to banning TikTok—a move Musk supports—underscores the competitive stakes for influence over the administration’s tech agenda.
