Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg thought Donald Trump was “badass” when he raised his fist after a bullet grazed his ear.
“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 badass things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Zuckerberg said in an interview with Bloomberg Thursday.
“On some level as an American, it’s like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight,” said Zuckerberg, “I think that that’s why a lot of people like the guy.”
The executive did not go so far as to endorse Trump outright, stating that he will not endorse either candidate and plans on “not playing a significant role in the election.”
Still, Zuckerberg calling Trump’s behavior inspiring is a new low given how the former president has attacked him over the years.
Just earlier this month, Trump openly threatened to jail Zuckerberg, writing on Truth Social, “We will pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time. We already know who you are. DON’T DO IT! ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!” That wasn’t even the first time that Trump has called for Zuckerberg to be criminally charged.
Truth Social itself was born out of Trump’s frustration with CEOs like Zuckerberg, and he blamed anti-conservative bias for why his Facebook posts were flagged as misinformation. Following the January 6 insurrection, Trump was suspended from Facebook and Instagram for two years. At the time, Zuckerberg said that Trump was trying to “undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power.”
Now in 2024, it seems like Zuckerberg is giving Trump the go-ahead. Meta has already limited political content, and Zuckerberg told Bloomberg, “I think you’re going to see our services play less of a role in this election than they have in the past.”
Trump has previously said he didn’t appreciate Zuckerberg sucking up to him. “Last week, the weirdo—he’s a weirdo—Mark Zuckerberg came to the White House, kissed my ass all night,” Trump said at a rally in 2022.
As Trump and Elon Musk continue to cozy up, perhaps frenemy Zuckerberg doesn’t want to be left out of the action. Or perhaps he’s just trying to save himself from getting thrown in jail.
