Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has reportedly hired a Republican strategist in an effort to improve his relationship with the political right, as his platform continues to face criticism over allegations of bias and censorship.
Zuckerberg has faced backlash from conservatives, particularly for Facebook’s decisions to suspend Donald Trump’s account following the January 6, 2021 events and for limiting the reach of the New York Post’s report on Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election. Zuckerberg later admitted that the FBI had urged Facebook to suppress the laptop story.
According to a report by The New York Times, Zuckerberg has enlisted Republican strategist Brian Baker to help repair his standing with conservatives. People close to Zuckerberg say that in private, he leans more toward libertarian or “classical liberal” ideals rather than aligning strictly with any political party.
Zuckerberg reportedly praised Trump’s response to the assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally, calling it “badass.” He also allegedly called Trump twice over the summer. Trump later claimed that Zuckerberg told him he could not vote for a Democrat, though Meta representatives have denied this. While Zuckerberg has reached out to Trump, he has not formed a relationship with Democratic