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Zuckerberg Meets Trump on Jan. 10 as Meta Ends Fact-Checking

Jan 11, 2025, 12:47 AM

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on January 10, 2025, as part of a broader effort to realign Meta's policies with the incoming administration. This meeting follows Zuckerberg's earlier visit to Trump over Thanksgiving, after which he initiated sweeping changes to Meta's content moderation policies. These changes, announced on January 7, include relaxing restrictions on speech, ending the company's fact-checking program, and increasing the visibility of political content on its platforms. Additionally, Meta has discontinued its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The company also donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. Joel Kaplan, Meta's head of public policy, played a key role in implementing these changes. These moves have sparked mixed reactions, with conservatives praising the changes as a step towards free expression, while critics, including fact-checking groups and LGBTQ advocacy organizations, express concerns about the potential for increased misinformation and harassment. The policy overhaul, described as a six-week sprint led by Zuckerberg and a small team, marks a significant shift in Meta's approach to content governance and its relationship with the U.S. government.