In his new book, Donald Trump threatens billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with prison.
Save America, set to be published next week, includes a photograph of Zuckerberg and Trump at the White House. Underneath the photo, Trump wrote that Zuckerberg “would come to the Oval Office to see me” and “bring his very nice wife to dinners, be as nice as anyone could be, while always plotting install shameful Lock Boxes in a true PLOT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.”
Trump went on to pin some of his election conspiracies on Zuckerberg, and gave him a serious warning.
“He told me there was nobody like Trump on Facebook. But at the same time, and for whatever reason, steered it against me. We are watching him closely, and if he does anything illegal this time he will spend the rest of his life in prison — as will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Trump (or perhaps his ghostwriter) wrote.
It’s not the first time Trump has threatened the Meta mogul with prison. In July, he called out “ZUCKERBUCKS,” saying a Trump administration would “pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time.”
Zuckerburg responded by sucking up to Trump, calling him “badass” for raising his fist following the assassination attempt against him at a Pennsylvania rally. And earlier this week, Zuckerburg wrote to Congress expressing regrets over “demoting” the 2020 New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s laptop, waiting for fact-checkers to review it, drawing a gleeful response from Trump on Truth Social.
“Zuckerberg admits that the White House pushed to SUPPRESS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY (& much more!). IN OTHER WORDS, THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED,” Trump posted on Tuesday.
Needless to say, imprisoning the owner of a social media platform because he’s not doing what you want is a clear First Amendment violation. Trump still angrily insists that the 2020 election was rigged against him, claiming that massive voter fraud coupled with collaboration between the news media and social media fixed the results. And he won’t commit to accepting a 2024 election outcome in which he loses, as his cronies make moves to sabotage November’s election in Republicans’ favor, taking over key election posts in battleground states. Democrats will have to be vigilant as Election Day nears, perhaps looking at Georgia as an example, where even leading Republicans are looking to ensure a fair process.
