Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has donated $1 million to newly elected President Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, a spokesperson for the social media giant confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday evening.
The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The move comes two weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg traveled to Florida and had dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
At the time, Trump adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News that Zuckerberg had “made it clear that he wants to support America’s national renewal under Trump’s leadership.”
Trump was removed from Facebook following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, when it was determined that his posts may have encouraged the violence that took place that day.
The company his account restored early 2023, but with certain ‘guardrails’. In July, those limitations were lifted by Meta.
Trump has a combined 65 million followers on Facebook and Instagram.
In August Zuckerberg submitted a letter to Congress alleging that in 2021, the Biden administration “has repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire.” He called the government pressure misguided and said he would oppose similar efforts in the future.
Silicon Valley is worried about the treatment the country might receive from a second Trump administration, and the donation could signal an attempt by Zuckerberg to thaw those tensions.
Trump’s choice of Brendan Carr, a prominent critic of big tech, to lead the Federal Communications Commission may have exacerbated these concerns.
CBS News has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment on the donation.
