Facebook founder and CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg has made a $1 million donation to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, and naturally, the move is raising eyebrows. At first glance, it seems like a strategic move to align with the incoming president after a history of tension between the two. Maybe Zuckerberg has seen the error of his ways. I’m not so sure. Considering Zuckerberg’s track record, I wouldn’t put much faith in Zuckerberg’s donation as a sign of an alliance.
Of course, I don't have to tell you Zuckerberg has never been on Trump’s side. Facebook has a well-documented history of censoring and suppressing conservative views. It happened during the 2020 presidential election. Facebook played a key role in supporting Joe Biden’s campaign, funneling millions of dollars into efforts aimed at boosting Biden’s chances — remember ZuckBucks?
Now Zuckerberg is giving money to Trump’s inauguration, which only highlights the hypocrisy of his behavior. If he was willing to support Biden’s campaign and other Democrat causes, why the sudden generosity toward Trump?
As recently as this year, there have been reports that Facebook has been doing the bidding of the Democratic Party, even admitting to censoring the iconic post-assassination attempt photo of Trump in Butler, Pa., in July, even though Zuckerberg himself had called the image of Trump “bada**.”
“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,” Zuckerberg said days after the assassination attempt. “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.”
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Of course, some context is necessary. Trump’s 2017 inauguration cost between $175 million and $200 million. So Zuckerberg’s $1 million contribution is a drop in the bucket. While it’s a large sum of money for most people, it is insignificant when compared not only to the scale of the inauguration costs but also to Zuckerberg’s personal wealth. Is Zuckerberg trying to ingratiate himself with Trump or just playing nice to further his own ends?
The timing of the donation and its relatively small size make it look more like an empty gesture than a sign that Zuckerberg has been red-pilled or will suddenly treat Trump fairly.
Furthermore, Zuckerberg’s recent claims that Facebook is returning to its original purpose of free expression ring hollow. Despite his promises, the platform continues to heavily moderate conservative content, making it clear that his vision for Facebook doesn’t include unrestricted speech. Facebook used to be one of the biggest drivers of traffic to our site. Now it’s a drop in the bucket.
We cannot ignore the reality that Big Tech billionaires like Zuckerberg often act in their own best interest. Zuckerberg may be sucking up to Trump, but his past actions show that we should remain deeply skeptical of his true intentions. He’s a billionaire businessman playing the political game for his own benefit — and we can’t afford to trust him.
