After the threats, the meeting. This Wednesday, November 27, Mark Zuckerberg, the powerful boss of Meta (Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram), finally met Donald Trump. A decisive meeting, while the new American president harshly criticizes the billionaire in recent years.
Since 2020, Meta has regularly been in Donald Trump’s crosshairs. At issue: his banishment from the platform the day after the attack on the Capitol in 2021. Donald Trump has also accused, on numerous occasions, Mark Zuckerberg of using his social networks in favor of Democrats.
Zuckerberg threatened with life in prison
A campaign in which Donald Trump threatened Mark Zuckerberg with life in prison, in a book published in early September. While he has not repeated his comments since winning the presidential election against Kamala Harris, he promised to “watch very closely” the billionaire.
But as if to better anticipate the possible victory of Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg has distanced himself from politics for several months, particularly from progressives, the New York Times reported in September 2024.
He finally congratulated Donald Trump a few hours after his victory, stating that he was “looking forward to working with [lui].” Like other big tech bosses like Jeff Bezos, the founder of Meta is now looking to calm a contentious relationship to better protect his business.
We will not know much about this dinner caused by Donald Trump – for the moment – except that Mark Zuckerberg plans to meet with members of the new administration.
They may talk about various hot topics including the one related to Tiktok. The Chinese social network, a fierce competitor to Meta, risks being banned in the coming months if Bytedance, its owner, does not resell it. But during the campaign, Donald Trump was more lenient than Democrats on the issue, even imagining saving the platform to thwart Mark Zuckerberg’s plans.
A long seduction campaign
As if to better avoid a possible bailout of his rival, the Facebook boss then tried to send friendly signals to the favorite in the polls. After the assassination attempt against Donald Trump during a meeting on July 14, 2024, Mark Zuckerberg was moved by the situation and described the then-candidate’s reaction as “rude.”
Over the summer, Meta hired Dustin Carmack, a former adviser to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, to work on drafting Project 2025, a set of conservative proposals often presented as an integral part of Donald Trump’s political plan.
During the presidential campaign, Mark Zuckerberg continued his attempt to win back conservatives. At the end of August, he publicly criticized the role of the Biden administration during the Covid crisis, accusing it of having pressured Facebook to remove certain content. A message received very favorably by Republicans.
Many initiatives have borne fruit: in mid-October, Donald Trump explained that he appreciated Mark Zuckerberg “much more” than in previous months, on the show Bussin’ With The Boys.
If the rapprochement between Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump could be largely pro-Meta and seal the fate of Tiktok on the other side of the Atlantic, there is another issue on which the two men could agree: the FTC.
The competition watchdog is in the crosshairs of GAFAM, and its leader, appointed by Joe Biden, could be quickly removed. Depending on the election of Donald Trump, this could lead to a relaxation of competition rules, directly benefiting Mark Zuckerberg’s empire, much criticized in this regard.
Source: BFM TV
