Meta gives $1M to Trump's inauguration, rekindles ties
Meta, the company that owns Facebook, donated $1 million to Donald Trump's inaugural fund. According to American media reports, this move is seen as another step by Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, to foster goodwill with the U.S. president-elect.
The company did not disclose the reason for the donation.
At the end of November, Zuckerberg met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and congratulated him on winning the presidential election, reported "The Wall Street Journal." He also spoke with Marco Rubio, who is expected to serve as Secretary of State in Trump's new administration.
"The New York Times" notes that donations to inaugural committees, which are not subject to contribution limits, are popular among companies and individuals looking to gain favor with the new administration, which will hold power for the next four years.
Donors who contribute between $1 million and $2 million can attend eight events celebrating the new presidency, including an intimate dinner with Trump and his wife Melania. They will also receive six tickets to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony in front of the Capitol on January 20.
Trump's first inaugural committee raised over $107 million between 2016 and 2017. The allocation of these funds was the subject of a federal investigation into illegal foreign donations, which concluded with a 12-year prison sentence for one of the donors.
Trump blocked on social media
Zuckerberg is one of many tech company leaders who have recently sought direct relationships with Trump. The president-elect was also contacted by, among others, Tim Cook of Apple and Sundar Pichai of Google.
According to "NYT," relations between Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and Trump were previously tense. The newspaper recalled that the company blocked Trump on its platforms when his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. His accounts were later unblocked. The president-elect has been critical of Zuckerberg, claiming that he should be jailed for "conspiring against him" before the 2020 presidential election.
