Video: Zuckerberg comments on Trump's behavior during assassination attempt
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg commented on the assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump, describing the latter's behavior at that moment as "powerful and inspiring."
The CEO of Meta said in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday that the Republican presidential candidate's immediate reaction after being shot was a sign of strength, which is the secret of voters' admiration for him.
He also said at Meta's headquarters in California: "Seeing Donald Trump get up after being shot in the face and raise his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most powerful things I've ever seen in my life... On some level as an American, it's hard not to be emotionally affected by that spirit and that struggle, and I think that's why so many people admire the man."
In the interview, which is scheduled to air in full next Tuesday, Zuckerberg, 40, refused to support Trump or his Democratic rival Joe Biden, adding that he "does not plan" to participate in the elections in any way.
Zuckerberg’s comments join a growing wave of support for the former president among Silicon Valley’s bigwigs. Several prominent figures, including billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the X platform, Tesla founder, and prominent investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, have expressed a positive attitude toward Trump, with some pledging financial support for his campaign.
Mark Zuckerberg said that Donald Trump’s immediate reaction after being shot was “badass” and inspiring — without endorsing the former president.
The Meta CEO spoke exclusively to @emilychangtv on The Circuit https://t.co/Y1s1HmhotX pic.twitter.com/DQI10NHzhq
Tensions between Zuckerberg and Trump have escalated over the latter’s posting of content that the company considers misleading or in violation of its policies, according to Bloomberg.
Following the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Meta decided to suspend Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years. Zuckerberg justified the move at the time by saying that Trump was using his platforms “to obstruct the peaceful and lawful transition of power to the new president-elect.”
While the accounts have since been reinstated, Trump has indicated that he has not forgiven Meta or Zuckerberg, and recently indicated that he plans to retaliate, calling Facebook “the enemy of the people” in March.
