'He Called Me a Few Times': Donald Trump Says Mark Zuckerberg Called Him to Apologize, Claims Meta's CEO 'Won't Support' Democrats The former U.S. President claims the calls began after the attempt on Trump's life in July.
By Emily Rella Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- In an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump claimed Mark Zuckerberg has called him numerous times to apologize for Meta's AI tool that inaccurately censored a photo taken after the Trump rally shooting.
- Trump said Zuckerberg told him that he wouldn't be supporting Democrats in November's election.
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Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship between former President Donald Trump and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg?
Zuckerberg is allegedly trying to make amends with the former President after Meta's AI assistant incorrectly labeled and censored a photo of Trump after the attempt on his life in July.
Related: Elon Musk Says He Will 'Fight' Mark Zuckerberg 'Any Place, Any Time, Any Rules'
Trump said in an interview on Friday that Zuckerberg called him to apologize for the mistake.
"[Zuckerberg] said that they made a mistake and that they're correcting the mistake," Trump said while calling out Google for not apologizing after the search engine reportedly censored news about the incident. "I believe Mark Zuckerberg, he called me a lot."
Trump says Zuckerberg called him after the assassination attempt & he won't be trying to help Democrats win in 2024 as in 2020 pic.twitter.com/i9LKyqHwmV
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 2, 2024
Trump says Zuckerberg called him "amazing" and "brave" and also alleged Zuckerberg said he wasn't going to support Democrats in the November election.
"He actually announced he's not going to support a Democrat because he can't; because he respected me for what I did that day," Trump told Fox's Maria Bartiromo.
Zuckerberg posted well wishes for Trump on Threads after the rally shooting.
"This is such a sad day for our country," he wrote, at the time. "Political violence undermines democracy and must always be condemned."
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg's rival and hopeful cage match opponent Elon Musk publicly endorsed Trump for President on social media in July.
Trump and Meta have had a contentious relationship. Trump's accounts were shut down after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol (and reinstated in early 2023), and just last month, Trump threatened to send Zuckerberg to prison on Truth Social.
Zuckerberg has not publicly endorsed a Presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election.
