While his Cabinet can’t agree on the TikTok ban, it’s clear that Donald Trump is going to be a huge influence on tech policy. His whole campaign has been very online, and he’s even appointed Elon Musk, X owner, as an advisor.
By contrast, Mark Zuckerberg and Trump have arguably had a slightly more strained relationship. The Meta head had previously banned the incoming President on Facebook and Instagram following the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly accused the Facebook founder of plotting against him and once even threatened to throw him in jail. When he U-turned on his TikTok stance, he also took aim at Zuckerberg’s platforms, calling Facebook an “enemy of the people.”
But it appears like now that’s all water under the bridge, as Zuckerberg was spotted wining and dining with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week.
Why did Mark Zuckerberg have dinner with Donald Trump?
Zuckerberg’s feelings towards Trump seem to have softened since the latter’s assassination attempt, as he described the president-elect’s response to the situation as “badass.” So, Zuckerberg breaking bread with Trump at Mar-a-Lago isn’t as big of a surprise as it might seem.
In a press briefing, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said that Zuckerberg is keen to play “an active role in the debates that any administration needs to have about maintaining America’s leadership in the technological sphere.”
Similarly, a spokesperson for Meta told the BBC that Zuckerberg was “grateful” for Trump’s dinner invitation. The spokesperson also noted that it was “an important time for American innovation.”
