Former President Donald Trump recently implied that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg would vote for him in the upcoming 2024 election. In an interview with New York Magazine, Trump claimed that Zuckerberg made the remarks during a phone call following a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump.
According to Trump, Zuckerberg allegedly said, “I’ve never supported a Republican before, but there’s no way I can vote for a Democrat in this election.” Trump also mentioned that Zuckerberg praised his response to the assassination attempt, saying, “I will never vote for the people running against you after watching what you did.”
However, a Meta spokesperson denied the claim, stating that Zuckerberg has not endorsed anyone and does not plan to support either Trump or his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 race. “As Mark has said publicly, he’s not endorsing anybody in this race and has not communicated to anybody how he intends to vote,” the spokesperson clarified.
Zuckerberg did, however, compliment Trump’s resilience in a July interview after the assassination attempt, calling his reaction “badass.” He remarked, “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.” Despite this praise, Zuckerberg reaffirmed that he would not endorse any candidate.
Trump and Zuckerberg have shared a complicated relationship over the years. In a forthcoming book, Trump threatened that Zuckerberg would “spend the rest of his life in prison” if he committed any illegal acts during the upcoming election. The former president has also criticized Meta for suspending his Facebook account after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.