Why Meta went MAGA Inside Zuckerberg’s Reset with Trump!

Sensing the changing political landscape, Zuckerberg has been actively working to repair the relationship. Following an assassination attempt in July, he praised the President-elect as a “badass.” Upon Trump’s election victory, Zuckerberg extended congratulations and expressed eagerness to collaborate with his administration.

After constructive discussions between their teams, Zuckerberg shared a meal with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November and gifted him a pair of company smart glasses. Meta deviated from tradition by donating $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

To strengthen ties with the Republican-led Congress and in light of calls for increased regulation of Big Tech, Zuckerberg intensified his efforts to build rapport.

Recently, Zuckerberg reshuffled the company’s senior leadership, appointing Kaplan as the global policy chief in place of Nick Clegg. He described Trump’s election win as a “cultural tipping point.”

In response to pressure from conservatives accusing Meta of suppressing their views, fact-checking was halted, and plans were made to relocate trust and safety personnel to Texas. Kaplan highlighted the shift towards free expression under the new administration.

Some in Trump’s circle welcomed the realignment, viewing it as a return to Meta’s core values. The move aligns with shifts in regulation, immigration, and artificial intelligence.

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan is set to meet with Zuckerberg, signaling a potential positive development. Restoring relations with Trump and the GOP holds significance for Meta and other companies, particularly concerning tech policy, immigration, and regulation.

Zuckerberg aims to engage with Trump on key industry matters, including skilled worker visas and regulatory issues. Trump’s flexibility on these issues has attracted support from tech leaders like Jeff Bezos.

While Zuckerberg hopes to avoid regulatory conflicts, Meta faces an antitrust case from the FTC. Despite efforts to appease conservatives, not all lawmakers are convinced of Meta’s pivot.

The changes Zuckerberg enacted were not as extensive as they initially seemed. Meta had already diluted its policies to restrict the dissemination of falsehoods. Leading up to the election, Meta permitted assertions in political advertisements claiming that the 2020 election had been manipulated.

“Meta has purportedly chosen to cease censoring conservatives now that President Trump is on the brink of assuming office,” Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, articulated. “This maneuver appears to be a tactic to evade regulation. We are not gullible.”

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Why Meta went MAGA: Will Zuckerberg’s Trump bet pay off?

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