But Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg told investors that Trump’s election gave the company an opportunity to rewrite its historically fraught relationship with the American Government.
“We now have a US administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritises American technology winning,” he told investors during an earnings call today NZT. “And I am optimistic about the progress and innovation that this can unlock.”
The settlement builds on dramatic changes at Meta over recent weeks that have earned praise from Trump and high-profile Republicans.
Zuckerberg has eliminated the company’s fact-checking programme, ended diversity initiatives and green-lit the company’s US$1m donation to Trump’s inauguration fund.
He has also strengthened his personal relationship with the President, taking private meetings at Mar-a-Lago and joining Trump on the dais during his inauguration.
The shift comes amid regulatory battles in Washington and abroad, including an ongoing Federal Trade Commission lawsuit seeking to break up the company.
Trump first filed the lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California in 2021 alleging that Meta, then called Facebook, had engaged in “impermissible censorship” after the tech giant suspended Trump’s accounts.
At the time, Meta argued that Trump’s account had violated rules against incitement of violence by encouraging rioters who stormed the Capitol in an attack that left several dead and many injured.
Trump’s 2021 lawsuit argued that the company had instead received pressure from Democrats to suspend the account, which he alleged was part of a larger pattern of the tech company censoring conservative users on its platforms.
Trump’s legal claims have faced an uphill battle because courts have historically held that tech companies have a constitutionally protected right to make editorial decisions about their platforms, said Santa Clara University law professor Eric Goldman.
“Trump’s case was incredibly weak to the point of being mockable,” he said.
However, the Meta settlement adds to Trump’s recent legal victories.
Last month, ABC News agreed to pay US$15m to fund Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit he brought against the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos.
As part of the settlement, the news network issued a statement of “regret” for an episode in which Stephanopoulos inaccurately said Trump had been found liable for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll when he had been found guilty of sexual assault. ABC will also pay US$1m in legal fees as part of the agreement.
Though Zuckerberg pledged neutrality in the election, the chief executive has sought to has increasingly sought to mend a once fraught relationship with Trump.
Zuckerberg tapped Joel Kaplan, a longtime Republican strategist, as Meta’s chief global affairs officer, replacing former British Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg. Dana White, a longtime Trump ally and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is joining Meta’s board of directors.
Those efforts have prompted criticism from liberal-leaning activists and Democrats who argue the company is taking a hands-off approach to problematic content to curry favour with the President.
“In the weeks following the 2024 election, Meta has gone out of its way to show fealty to Trump and join his far-right clique,” Accountable Tech co-founder Nicole Gill said in a statement today.
“This settlement is the latest example of that - a signal that Meta is willing to do whatever it takes to appease this administration.”
- Washington Post
