Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attended a dinner with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Wednesday. A senior advisor to Trump mentioned that Zuckerberg, the 40-year-old tech mogul who heads Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has shown interest in supporting America’s national renewal under Trump’s leadership.
Zuckerberg and Trump have had a complicated relationship in the past. Notably, Facebook, among other social media platforms, banned Trump following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, a spokesperson for Meta stated that Zuckerberg appreciated the dinner invitation and the chance to discuss the future of American innovation with Trump’s team.
It remains unclear whether Elon Musk, a Trump ally who previously had a public rivalry with Zuckerberg, attended the dinner. Musk has often been present at Mar-a-Lago since the election.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, shared that Zuckerberg has expressed his desire to support and engage in the changes happening in America. “He’s made clear he wants to contribute to the national renewal of America under President Trump’s leadership,” Miller said in an interview.
Zuckerberg, who had been cautious during Trump’s first term, was among those who congratulated Trump after his election victory. Before the election, Zuckerberg paused election-related philanthropy, and Meta adjusted its algorithms to limit political content. Previously, Zuckerberg had made significant contributions to nonprofits supporting U.S. electoral infrastructure during the pandemic. These donations had been criticized by Trump after his 2020 loss, with Trump wrongly claiming they were part of a plot to influence the election.
