The Meta CEO says the Republican frontrunner’s defiance has likely struck a chord with many Americans
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described Donald Trump’s defiant reaction to last Saturday’s assassination attempt as “badass.” While the tech billionaire stopped short of endorsing the Republican frontrunner for the presidency, he noted that many Americans have found Trump’s response inspiring.
The former president narrowly escaped death at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on him with an AR-15-style rifle from a nearby rooftop. A bullet grazed Trump’s right ear before Secret Service agents killed his would-be assassin. The incident left one rally attendee dead and two others injured. Trump was rushed from the scene by his security detail, but was seen raising his fist and chanting “fight, fight” to the crowd as he was taken off the stage.
“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,” Zuckerberg said at Meta Platforms Inc. headquarters in Menlo Park, California on Thursday.
“On some level as an American, it’s like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that’s why a lot of people like the guy,” the entrepreneur added.
Zuckerberg insisted, however, that he was not planning to be involved in the upcoming US presidential election in any way. There will be less political content on Facebook going forward, he added, citing users’ wishes.
“I think you’re going to see our services play less of a role in this election than they have in the past,” the Meta CEO concluded.
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Zuckerberg after Meta suspended his Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years in the wake of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Back in March, the Republican firebrand described Facebook as the “enemy of the people.”
Another tech billionaire, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) following the assassination attempt last weekend that he “fully endorse[s] President Trump and hope[s] for his rapid recovery.”
While Musk has repeatedly criticized President Joe Biden’s administration since 2022, his relations with Trump have grown increasingly close of late, several media outlets have claimed in recent weeks.
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk plans to donate around $45 million a month to a new super political action committee backing Trump. However, the tech tycoon dismissed the report as fake news.
