Meta, the social media giant, confirmed late Wednesday that it contributed $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund. The donation signals a notable turn in the relationship between Big Tech and Trump, especially given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s past clashes with the former president.
Tech leaders, including Zuckerberg, appear to be recalibrating their approach to Trump following his re-election last month. “Big Tech CEOs have been working to gain access and influence with Trump since he won the election,” according to a report from Axios.
The donation comes just two weeks after Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, an interaction that followed years of a strained relationship. Public records reveal that neither Zuckerberg nor Meta contributed to Trump’s inaugural fund in 2017 or President Biden’s in 2021, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first broke the news.
A Tumultuous Past
Meta’s $1 million donation is significant given the company’s previous actions against Trump. Following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, Meta banned Trump from its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Restrictions on his accounts were lifted only this past July, as Trump ramped up his 2024 campaign.
Zuckerberg has also openly criticized Trump in the past, notably opposing the Republican’s immigration policies during his first term. Meanwhile, Trump’s opinion of Zuckerberg has been equally harsh. In an August book, Trump claimed that Zuckerberg “would spend the rest of his life in prison” if he attempted to sway election results.
However, there has been a recent thawing of tensions. After an attempted assassination on Trump over the summer, Zuckerberg reached out to him, later describing Trump’s response as “badass.”
A Broader Trend in Big Tech
Meta’s contribution aligns with a wider trend among tech leaders seeking to engage with Trump. Zuckerberg joins industry giants such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Google’s Sundar Pichai, who quickly congratulated Trump following his election win.
Despite this outreach, Trump’s relationships with Big Tech companies have often been contentious. Meta’s surprising donation signals a broader strategy to mend fences—or gain influence—with the incoming administration. Whether this marks a permanent shift in relations between Big Tech and Trump remains to be seen.
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