US President-elect Donald Trump dined with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. The meeting is seen as a key interaction between the tech mogul and the Republican leader, who had previously been banned from Meta’s social media platforms.
Zuckerberg was among several business figures invited to discuss Trump’s economic plans ahead of his potential return to the White House.
Stephen Miller, recently named as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for his second term, said Zuckerberg’s participation showed the tech executive’s interest in supporting Trump’s vision for the country. “Mark has his own interests, company, and agenda,” Miller stated during a Fox News interview. “But he has made it clear that he wants to back America’s national renewal under Trump’s leadership.”
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that Mark Zuckerberg attended a dinner with former US President Trump, where he met with the president-elect and his team to discuss the upcoming administration’s policies.
This dinner came nearly three years after Facebook, now Meta, banned Trump in the wake of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump’s account was reinstated in early 2023. Although Zuckerberg has remained neutral in the 2024 presidential race, he has recently become more favorable toward Trump, praising his handling of a previous assassination attempt and criticizing the Biden administration’s alleged efforts to pressure social media platforms to censor Covid-19-related content.
Despite these comments, Trump continues to publicly criticize Zuckerberg. In July, he revived the nickname “ZUCKERBUCKS” on Truth Social, indirectly referencing the tech CEO while making threats about imprisoning those involved in election fraud.
The dinner also highlights the growing influence of Elon Musk in Trump’s political circle. Musk, who has donated around $200 million to Trump’s campaign through his political action committee, has made several visits to Mar-a-Lago. He is also co-leading a new advisory panel called the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) with venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy. The panel’s purpose is to identify and cut government waste.
