Meta gave $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Meta donated $1 million to President-elect Trump's inaugural fund, Trump representatives and the social media giant confirmed.
Why it matters: Big Tech CEOs have been working to gain access and influence with Trump since he won the election last month, per Axios' Ivana Saric.
- The donation comes two weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg went to Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump, with whom he previously had a fractious relationship.
State of play: "Neither Zuckerberg nor Meta donated to Trump's inaugural fund in 2017 or to President Biden's fund in 2021," per the Wall Street Journal, citing public records, which first reported on the donation Wednesday.
- Meta banned Trump from its Facebook and Instagram platforms following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but removed restrictions on his accounts during the 2024 election campaign in July.
- Zuckerberg previously criticized Trump's executive orders on immigration during the Republican's first term.
- Trump said in a book that came out in August that Zuckerberg would "spend the rest of his life in prison" if he tried to influence the outcome of the election.
- Zuckerberg said he reached out to Trump following the attempted assassination on him over the summer and described the Republican's response to that attack as "badass."
- A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the donation, but declined to comment further on the matter.
Zoom out: Zuckerberg joined Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other tech leaders in rushing to congratulate Trump following his election win.
- Trump has previously had fraught relationships with all of their companies.
- Meanwhile, incoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-leader and Tesla owner Elon Musk and Zuckerberg openly feuded online last year when the pair talked up having a "cage match" that never eventuated.
Go deeper... Behind the Curtain: The Silicon swamp
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
