Washington: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has heaped praises on former US President and Republican presidential candidate for this year's election, Donald Trump, for the latter's response to the recent assassination attempt, calling it "one of the most badass things I've ever seen in my life." However, Zuckerberg refused to endorse any candidate for the election in November, where Trump and Biden will engage in a political rematch.
The entrepreneur declined to endorse any presidential candidate and said he would not play a "significant role in the election", NBC News reported citing Zuckerberg's interview with Bloomberg. However, he offered positive characterisations of Trump, despite being the subject of criticism by the former President in the past.
"Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life," he said while acknowledging the strong appeal Trump holds for some Americans. "At some level as an American, it’s hard to not, like, get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight. And I think that’s why a lot of people like the guy."''
On July 13, Trump was in the middle of a campaign speech in Pennsylvania - a key state in the November 5 election - when gunshots rang out and a bullet grazed past his ear, plunging the event into chaos. As Trump was being escorted by Secret Service agents, he raised his fist into the air and chanted "Fight! Fight!" while his supporters cheered.
The assassination attempt shocked the country and significantly altered the dynamics of the presidential campaign. Several influential figures in Silicon Valley, including Tesla boss Elon Musk and venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, back Trump for president.
Meta has frequently called out Trump's posts for containing misinformation and breaching content rules on its platforms. It also suspended his Facebook and Instagram accounts for about two years following the January 2021 Capitol riots. Zuckerberg said Meta was making changes that he hoped would mean Facebook was not as much of a flashpoint in elections going forward.
Zuckerberg's comments came days after Trump suggested that he did not want to ban TikTok as the Meta boss's social media platforms - like Facebook and Instagram - would benefit. Trump has attacked Zuckerberg several times over the years. On Trump’s own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump recently threatened to send “ZUCKERBUCKS” to prison if he were elected president.
Interestingly, Zuckerberg has previously supported Republicans in presidential elections. In 2013, he hosted a fundraiser for then-governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, who ran unsuccessfully in this year’s Republican primary. However, he donated $350 million to local election offices in 2020, which Republicans said was done to help President Joe Biden elected.
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