Meta donates $1 mn to Trump's inaugural fund to build positive relation

By Sarah Frier 

Meta Platforms Inc. has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, part of an effort to build a positive relationship with the administration after a tense history. 

While small, the donation is not something Meta did for President Joe Biden or Trump’s prior term, and it follows a November dinner between Trump and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg at Mar-a-Lago. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the donation, which was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, but declined to comment further.

 

Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, platforms that Trump used heavily during his first term until his accounts were suspended following the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Meta banned his accounts out of concern that Trump would spur further violence by denying Biden’s election victory. 

 

Trump’s accounts were reinstated in 2023, but he continued to speak openly about perceived unfairness from Zuckerberg. In March, Trump called Meta the “enemy of the people,” and later implied that Zuckerberg should be jailed for alleged election interference.

 

Zuckerberg has since made a more public appeal to Trump. He called Trump’s reaction to being nearly assassinated “badass” and also called the President-elect on the phone this summer to apologize for mistakenly labeling photos of Trump with a fact check. Zuckerberg is one of several powerful tech executives and venture capitalists who, after previously criticizing Trump, have worked to build a stronger relationship now that he’s returning to the White House.