President-elect Donald Trump has seen many former antagonists visit Mar-a-Lago looking for a fresh start — and future cooperation — since his re-election in November, as the centi-billionaire likes of Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta) have dined in Palm Beach with the former and future President.
Bezos, formerly critical of Trump, had already revealed his favor-seeking side long before the recent meeting, famously squelching a Kamala Harris endorsement by The Washington Post — which he owns — that was set to run before the election.
Zuckerberg, who after January 6, 2021 banned Trump from Facebook for a time, changed his tune also as Trump’s electoral fortunes rose, being particularly full of praise for Trump after the failed assassination attempt he survived in Butler, PA.
Is it just good business sense that makes these billionaires want to start out on the right foot with the new administration? Or is it something more?
Asked at Mar-a-Lago today about Meta’s announcement that it would no longer factcheck its content — and would thereby allow misinformation to flow freely over its platforms — Trump said he was “very impressed” with Meta.
Speculating about the reason behind Meta’s abandoning its efforts to spare its users from propaganda and other lies, a reporter asked Trump specifically about Zuckerberg: “Do you think he was directly responding to the threats you have made to him in the past?”
Acknowledging those threats, Trump responded: “Probably.”
Reporter: Meta announced they will stop doing fact checks..
Trump: I think they’ve come a long way
Reporter: Do you think he’s responding to the threats you’ve made in the past
Trump: Probably pic.twitter.com/KsmfB1Witw
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 7, 2025
Meta and Amazon, as well as Bezos’s space exploration company Blue Origin, do business with the U.S. government and — as American businesses subject to federal regulation — have a powerful interest in remaining friendly — and friction-free — with any White House occupant.
That pragmatic aversion to friction is leveled up when an administration takes office promising “retribution” against its opponents, as Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail.
Even “Masters of the Universe” types like Zuckerberg and Bezos don’t want to be on Trump’s enemies list. Expect more changes at Meta and elsewhere too, as when a threat is successful and heeded, it is almost always followed by another threat.
