/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25263320/STK169_Zuckerberg_C_CVirginia.jpg?w=860&resize=860,0&ssl=1 "Mehta donates million to Trump inauguration")
According to the Journal, Zuckerberg showed off Mehta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses before dinner and gifted a pair to Trump. Zuckerberg’s aides also met with incoming White House officials, including incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The donation marks a significant change for Zuckerberg, who until recently had stayed away from politics. Zuckerberg called President Trump and congratulated him on winning the presidential election. However, he did not publicly endorse a candidate in 2020. And, as Meta spokespeople have repeatedly emphasized, he hasn’t endorsed anyone in 2024 either, despite Trump’s claims that Zuckerberg called him to tell him there was no way he could vote for a Democrat. After the attempt to kill Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. (Zuckerberg also called Trump’s response to the shooting “badass.”) Still, Zuckerberg has made increasingly subtle overtures to Trump, who has been threatening the Facebook founder for years.
The dinner and donations are a sign that the notoriously fractious relationship between Zuckerberg and Trump is starting to soften. Trump has criticized Zuckerberg since Facebook banned his account following the Jan. 6 riots, and at one point did so. Zuckerberg said he should go to jail This is due to suspicions that Facebook interfered in the 2020 election.
