Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has reportedly hired a Republican strategist in an effort to improve his relationship with the political right, as his platform continues to face criticism over allegations of bias and censorship.
Zuckerberg has faced backlash from conservatives, particularly for Facebook’s decisions to suspend Donald Trump’s account following the January 6, 2021 events and for limiting the reach of the New York Post’s report on Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election. Zuckerberg later admitted that the FBI had urged Facebook to suppress the laptop story.
According to a report by The New York Times, Zuckerberg has enlisted Republican strategist Brian Baker to help repair his standing with conservatives. People close to Zuckerberg say that in private, he leans more toward libertarian or “classical liberal” ideals rather than aligning strictly with any political party.
Zuckerberg reportedly praised Trump’s response to the assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally, calling it “badass.” He also allegedly called Trump twice over the summer. Trump later claimed that Zuckerberg told him he could not vote for a Democrat, though Meta representatives have denied this. While Zuckerberg has reached out to Trump, he has not formed a relationship with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In 2020, Zuckerberg and his wife donated $400 million to support local elections, which sparked criticism from some on the right, who saw it as an attempt to sway the election. Last month, Zuckerberg assured Congress that he would not make any similar donations in the upcoming election. Baker has also emphasized to Trump and his aides that Zuckerberg does not plan to repeat such contributions.
In a letter to Congress last month, Zuckerberg wrote, “Despite analyses suggesting otherwise, I know some believe this work favored one party over the other. My goal is to remain neutral and avoid even the appearance of influencing the outcome.”
A spokesperson for Zuckerberg confirmed that he has not endorsed a candidate for the upcoming election and has not disclosed his voting intentions.