Zuckerberg meets White House officials, backs Trump’s push for US tech dominance

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited the White House on Thursday to discuss Meta’s role in helping the Trump administration with America’s international tech leadership. In an X post company spokesman, Andy Stone said:

Mark Zuckerberg was at the White House today to discuss how Meta can help the administration defend and advance American tech leadership abroad.

Andy Stone

The meeting comes just weeks after Zuckerberg attended Trump’s inauguration at the Capitol and appeared to get closer to the president’s circle.

Zuckerberg aligns Meta with the Trump administration 

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly expressed optimism in recent weeks that President Donald Trump will push US tech dominance by aiding companies in outpacing global competitors and shielding them from regulatory challenges.

During Meta’s January earnings call, Zuckerberg described 2024 as “a big year for redefining our relationship with governments.”

He expressed optimism, saying the current US administration takes pride in leading companies, prioritizes American technological success, and will defend its values and interests abroad. He conveyed confidence that this shift would drive significant progress and innovation.

The remarks followed a month during which Zuckerberg implemented several high-profile changes to align Meta more closely with the Trump administration.

Zuckerberg appointed Joel Kaplan, a longtime Republican strategist, as Meta’s chief global affairs officer, bringing Trump ally Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, onto the company’s board of directors. 

He also ended US.-based fact-checking on Meta’s social networks and revised the company’s hateful conduct policy to permit “insulting language” targeting immigrants and transgender individuals. Additionally, Zuckerberg visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, scaled back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and reassigned Meta’s civil rights team members to other areas within the company.

In a January 10 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg urged the US. government to assist in securing victory in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence race.

He pointed out that while it’s easy for the government to assume the US will always lead in these areas, the competition is very close, and he emphasized the need for government support to help drive progress and achieve these goals.

Zuckerberg courts Trump to shield Meta from legal and policy challenges

Zuckerberg and Trump had a rocky relationship in recent years, but the president has grown more favorable toward the tech leader in the months leading up to and following his reelection.

Some Democrats and critics have criticized Zuckerberg and other tech executives for courting the president in an effort to shield their companies from potential legal or policy challenges.

Late last month, Meta reached a $25 million settlement with Trump over a 2021 lawsuit regarding the suspension of his accounts following the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Earlier that month, Meta dismantled its fact-checking program in a significant reversal. Meta once promoted the program, which was launched in 2016, as a key tool to combat misinformation and disinformation on its platforms.

Trump suggested the fact-checking changes were a response to him, telling reporters earlier this month that the decision was “probably” linked to his previous threats against Zuckerberg and the company.