Trump Gets a "Gift"of $1 Million Donation from Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has made a $1 million donation to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund, CNN reports, confirming the contribution.

This donation follows a private meeting between Zuckerberg and Trump at Mar-a-Lago two weeks earlier, raising questions about Zuckerberg's potential influence in the incoming administration, particularly in shaping tech policy.

This marks a notable shift from 2021, when Meta banned Trump from its platforms after the 6 January insurrection.

On Wednesday, Trump hosted Zuckerberg for a dinner at his Florida estate, where the two, along with Trump's team, reportedly met.

Though the specifics of their conversation remain undisclosed, a Meta representative emphasized the timing of the meeting as critical for US innovation, though Zuckerberg did not stay for Thanksgiving.

Zuckerberg's & Trump's Connections

Zuckerberg and Trump have had a tense relationship, which reached a peak in January 2021 when Facebook banned Trump following the attack on the US Capitol.

Trump later accused Zuckerberg of election interference and suggested the possibility of imprisoning him.

In early 2023, Meta reinstated Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts, signalling a shift in their dynamic.

After an attempted assassination on Trump in Pennsylvania in July, Zuckerberg praised the former president's resilience, describing the moment as one of the "most badass things" he had ever witnessed.

This fall, Zuckerberg and Trump spoke by phone, and Zuckerberg publicly congratulated Trump after his recent electoral victory.

When asked about their meeting on Wednesday, a Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung declined to comment:

“We do not comment on reports of private meetings that did or did not occur.”

However, Stephen Miller, an adviser to the president-elect, confirmed the meeting to Fox News.

Given this history, one must ask: Is Zuckerberg's $1 million donation to Trump a calculated political maneuver or simply an act of goodwill?