In his forthcoming coffee table book, "Save America," former President Donald Trump presents a critical portrayal of Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
What Happened: The photo book, due to be released on Tuesday, includes an undated image of Trump with Zuckerberg, accompanied by a disparaging caption. The caption appears to reference a $420 million donation made by Zuckerberg and his wife in 2020 to support election infrastructure, a move that previously drew Trump's ire, reported Politico.
The ex-president wrote underneath the photo: Zuckerberg "would come to the Oval Office to see me. He would bring his very nice wife to dinners, be as nice as anyone could be, while always plotting to install shameful Lock Boxes in a true PLOT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT."
Trump was referring to a $420 million donation made by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan during the 2020 elections for funding election infrastructure.
Zuckerberg, in a recent letter to Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), indicated he would not be making similar contributions in the future, due to concerns about appearing partisan. Despite allegations that his donation favored Democrats, Zuckerberg reiterated his commitment to neutrality.
Why It Matters: Trump's criticism of Zuckerberg in his book follows a series of events that have strained their relationship. In August 2024,
Zuckerberg recently disclosed that his company faced pressure from senior Biden administration officials to censor certain content on its platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed regret for not resisting the pressure sooner and vowed to resist such pressure in the future.
Earlier, in July, Trump had threatened to imprison Zuckerberg and other "election fraudsters" if he were re-elected. He issued the warning on his social media platform, Truth Social, and specifically named Zuckerberg in his post.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal