Wednesday night at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Donald Trump dined in the company of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, social networks from which the Donald had previously been banned.
Yesterday’s meeting, therefore, puts an end to the conflicts that have marked the relationship between the MAGA leader and the U.S. entrepreneur in recent years. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the meeting in a statement to CBS News, saying that Zuckerberg “was grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration.”
Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff for Trump’s second term, said Zuckerberg wants to support the president-elect’s economic plans. “Mark, obviously, he has his own interest, and he has his own company and he has his own agenda,” Miller said, “But he’s made clear that he wants to support the national renewal of America under Trump’s leadership.”
The MAGA leader was banned from Facebook after the attack on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021, when it was determined that some of his posts released on the social network had encouraged his loyalists to storm the U.S. Capitol. Meta restored his account in early 2023, but with some “limitations.” These were lifted in July 2024.
On Zuckerberg’s main socials, Facebook and Instagram, The Donald boasts more than 65 million followers. During the campaign, the Meta owner did not give his endorsement to any candidate. However, in recent months, his positions toward Trump had begun to soften.
After the assassination attempt on Trump that occurred in Butler, for example, the 40-year-old called the MAGA leader’s reaction “badass.” The CEO of the world’s best-known social network, moreover, had also complained about the pressure exerted on Facebook by Biden government officials, with the intention of censoring some content regarding news about Covid-19, during the pandemic.
Despite this, in the closing stages of his campaign, Trump had continued to attack Zuckerberg. Now, after the Mar-a-Lago dinner, it is quite likely that the controversial relationship between the two will start a new chapter.
