Mark Zuckerberg has failed to win the approval of Donald Trump loyalists after Meta announced it was pulling out a third-party fact-checker over concerns the system was “too politically biased.”
Zuckerberg said in a video Tuesday that his companies, including Facebook and Instagram, would instead implement a user-generated “community notes” model similar to the one used by X, the former Twitter owned by Elon Musk.
The major change is widely seen as an attempt by the tech billionaire to curry favor with the president-elect, as other high-profile figures in Silicon Valley seek to strengthen their position with Trump.
Trump has harbored animosity toward Zuckerberg since he was banned from Facebook and Instagram following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Asked about Meta’s announcement at a news conference Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, the Republican said the social media giant “has come a long way.”
Asked whether he thought Mehta’s decision was a direct response to threats Trump had made to Zuckerberg in the past, he responded, “Maybe.”
But the move was met with skepticism among some supporters and conservative lawmakers.
Nicole Shanahan, a Trump supporter and onetime running mate of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., commented on the “interesting timing.”
“After four years of censoring a sitting president, Zuck suddenly announces these reforms. — Shanahan wrote in
Laura Loomer, a conspiracy theorist and MAGA influencer who was sometimes by Trump’s side on the campaign trail, said “talk is cheap.”
Rumer told wrote.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) argued in an article posted on
“We will not be fooled,” she wrote.
“Try to fool me. It’s a shame. Fool me twice and shame on you.” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote in “Can any of us assume that Zuckerberg won’t go back to his old ways?”
Meanwhile, outgoing Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan warned Tuesday that Mehta and other companies could try to get a “good deal” from the president-elect as they face antitrust investigations.
