Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is turning heads following the release of an interview he did with "The Circuit with Emily Chang," during which he said that former President Donald Trump's immediate reaction after he was shot was not only "bada**" but also inspiring and emotional.
“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 bada** things I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. “On some level as an American, it’s like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that’s why a lot of people like the guy.”
Mark Zuckerberg said that Donald Trump’s immediate reaction after being shot was “badass” and inspiring — without endorsing the former president.
— Bloomberg (@business) July 19, 2024
The Meta CEO spoke exclusively to @emilychangtv on The Circuit https://t.co/Y1s1HmhotX pic.twitter.com/DQI10NHzhq
Zuckerberg may not have endorsed Trump, but he indicated that he wasn't publicly endorsing either candidate — a sharp twist considering that Zuckerberg not only backed Joe Biden in 2020 but also spent crazy amounts of money helping Biden win.
Zuckerberg, 40, declined to endorse Trump or his presumed opponent, President Joe Biden, adding that he’s “not planning” to be involved in the election in any way. Still, his comments add to a growing chorus of Silicon Valley leaders, including Tesla Inc. billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are warming to the former president, some pledging donations to his campaign. Zuckerberg made the comments during a wide-ranging discussion about the future of AI, social media and more for The Circuit with Emily Chang. The full episode is set to air on Tuesday.
This comes after Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, lifted its restrictions on Donald Trump's accounts on those platforms last week.
While the accounts have since been reinstated, Trump indicated he hasn’t forgiven Meta or Zuckerberg, and recently suggested that he plans to retaliate. He called Facebook the “enemy of the people” in March. Earlier this month, Trump also appeared to warn Zuckerberg. “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!”
While Zuckerberg may not have endorsed Trump, tech giants have been rallying behind him recently. Trump was once so unpopular in Silicon Valley that nearly all political donations from tech elites went to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. However, the current election cycle has seen a shift.
Elon Musk has now endorsed Trump and reportedly plans to contribute $45 million monthly to a pro-Trump super PAC, although Musk pushed back slightly on this story. Tech investor David Sacks, who once believed that the events of January 6 should disqualify Trump, has now endorsed him and spoke at the Republican National Convention.
Related: Have You Heard Biden's Hilarious Response to Trump’s RNC Speech?
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