Mark Zuckerberg dines with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss incoming administration: ‘Grateful for the invitation’
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg dined with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and discussed “the incoming administration” Wednesday.
“It’s an important time for the future of American Innovation. Mark was grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement provided to The Post.
The Trump-Vance transition team did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Stephen Miller, the incoming White House deputy chief of staff for policy, confirmed that Zuckerberg met with the president-elect during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”
“Mark Zuckerberg has been very clear about his desire to be a supporter of and a partnership in this change that we’re seeing all around America, all around the world, with this reform movement that Donald Trump is leading,” Miller said.
“Mark Zuckerberg, like so many business leaders, understands that President Trump is an agent of change, an agent of prosperity,” he added.
“And so business leaders, CEOs everywhere, they want to be an element, a supporter, a booster of making our economy prosperous, delivering for American workers and making sure that America is the most powerful, wealthiest, freest nation on the face of the Earth.”
Miller noted that Zuckerberg, 40, “has his own interests and he has his own company and he has his own agenda” — but has “made clear that he wants to support the national renewal of America under President Trump’s leadership.”
The Mar-a-Lago meeting was reportedly initiated by Zuckerberg, according to the New York Times.
The president-elect and Facebook creator “largely exchanged pleasantries” during their meeting and Zuckerberg congratulated Trump on his Election Day victory, the outlet reported.
Earlier this year, Trump, 78, described Facebook as “a true Enemy of the People,” claiming that Zuckerberg’s company “cheated in the last Election.”
The 45th president leveled the accusation in a March Truth Social post in which he argued that banning TikTok, a social media platform owned by the Chinese parent company, would benefit Zuckerberg.
“If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump wrote, referring to Meta founder and CEO.
“I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!” he added.
Trump appeared to be referring to the $400 million-plus Zuckerberg spent in the 2020 cycle to help finance local elections.
The so-called “Zuckerbucks” initiative was roundly criticized by Republicans as an attempt to influence the 2020 vote.
The Meta CEO pledged in an August letter to the House Judiciary Committee that while his motives were “nonpartisan” he wouldn’t be making a similar contribution in 2024.
In July, Meta rolled back restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts put in place after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol Building.
Trump, who has a combined total of nearly 54 million followers on both Facebook and Instagram, was suspended from the platforms the day after the riot.
His account privileges were restored in February 2023 after a two-year ban, but some restrictions remained, which were lifted to bring him to parity with President Biden – who was still in the race at the time – in the final months of the 2024 campaign.
