July 19, 2024 at 11:00 AM GMT
Mark Zuckerberg praised former President Donald Trump’s immediate reaction after being shot, calling it “badass” and inspiring, which he believes explains part of Trump’s appeal to voters.
“Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life,” the Meta Platforms Inc. chief executive officer said during an interview at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. “As an American, it’s hard not to get emotional about that spirit and fight, and I think that’s why a lot of people like the guy.”
Zuckerberg, 40, did not endorse Trump or his presumed opponent, President Joe Biden, stating that he’s “not planning” to be involved in the election in any way. However, his comments align with a growing number of Silicon Valley leaders, including Tesla Inc. billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are showing support for the former president, with some even pledging donations to his campaign. Zuckerberg made his remarks during a discussion about the future of AI, social media, and other topics for The Circuit with Emily Chang. The full episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday.
Zuckerberg also mentioned that Meta is implementing changes to reduce Facebook’s role as a flashpoint in elections. “The main feedback I hear from people is that they want to see less political content on our services because they come to connect with people,” he said. Meta is already recommending less political content to its users, aiming for its services to play a lesser role in this election compared to previous ones.
A photograph of Donald Trump displayed during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 18.Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg
Zuckerberg’s relationship with Trump has been complicated by Trump’s use of Meta’s platforms to communicate with his followers. The former president’s posts frequently contained misinformation or violated Meta’s rules. Following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, the company suspended Trump from both Facebook and Instagram for two years. At the time, Zuckerberg stated that Trump was using his account to “undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor.”
Although Trump’s accounts have been reinstated, he has not forgiven Meta or Zuckerberg. In March, he labeled Facebook as the “enemy of the people.” Earlier this month, Trump issued a warning to Zuckerberg, saying, “All I can say is that if I’m elected President, we will pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We already know who you are. DON’T DO IT! ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!”
Trump has reversed policy positions to penalize Meta. While he was president, Trump pushed for a ban on the Chinese-owned video app TikTok. He has since changed his stance, arguing in Businessweek that a ban would benefit Meta too much.
Zuckerberg said he welcomes competition. “It’s good,” he remarked on The Circuit. “I think we’re doing pretty well here. We’re gaining market share. So I don’t know. They’ll go do what they need to do but I think we’re gonna be fine and we’re gonna continue doing well in this space either way.”
When asked if TikTok should be banned, Zuckerberg declined to comment. “That’s above my pay grade,” he said.
