Trump's team doesn't believe in Zuckerberg's sincerity and thinks he should “more ass-kissing” to do

Over the past month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken a number of steps to align his company's activities with the policies of the Donald Trump administration. However, he has failed to convince the US president's inner circle of his right-wing conservative transformation, Rolling Stone writes, citing sources.

Despite the termination of the Meta social media fact-checking program, a $1 million contribution to Trump's inaugural fund, and the cancellation of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs, key members of the Trump administration remain unconvinced of Zuckerberg's intentions.

"There is a lot more ass-kissing that needs to be done," said a senior Trump administration official. "He just needs to prove himself. It’s a good start, but he can’t just snap his fingers and make the past not happen."

Zuckerberg's attempts to build a good relationship with Trump are likely part of a strategy to protect Meta from a potential regulatory backlash in his second term. During the election campaign, Trump actively criticized Zuckerberg, and once even called him "Zuckersmack," calling Facebook "the true enemy of the people." But now, according to insiders, the Meta CEO has assured administration officials, including immigration adviser Stephen Miller, that he will not oppose Trump's plans, including immigration measures, which is a significant departure from Zuckerberg's previous position.

Trump himself acknowledged the change in Meta's policy earlier this month, praising the company's decision to end its fact-checking program. "Honestly, I think they've made a lot of progress - Meta, Facebook," Trump said, adding that the company was "probably" responding to his earlier threats of legal action against Zuckerberg.

However, Trump's advisors and supporters remain skeptical of Zuckerberg's motives. Many believe that his actions are motivated by self-interest rather than a sincere ideological shift.

During Trump's first term, Zuckerberg faced criticism from his advisors, including Stephen Miller, who often expressed dissatisfaction with Zuckerberg's support for Obama-era immigration reforms. Although times have changed, some in Trump's inner circle remain wary of Zuckerberg's intentions.

"It feels like he's just trying to protect himself," said one Republican close to the administration.

This distrust is exacerbated by Trump's history of criticizing Zuckerberg. In his 2023 book, Trump accused Zuckerberg of conspiring against him during the 2020 election, even threatening him with imprisonment.

Statements in support of the new US administration have drawn criticism not only from Trump's supporters, but also from Zuckerberg's own allies. Mark Lemley, a lawyer who represented Meta in a copyright case in the field of generative artificial intelligence, publicly broke off cooperation with the company, calling it "a plunge into toxic masculinity and neo-Nazi madness."

Conservative media figures have also questioned Zuckerberg's sincerity. The hosts of Fox & Friends criticized him after an interview on Joe Rogan's podcast, where Zuckerberg complained about censorship demands from the Biden administration and described society as "neutered." The hosts called him a "wimp" and a "crybaby," describing his fascination with right-wing ideology as opportunistic.

Despite these challenges, Zuckerberg continues to make concessions to the Trump administration, which has promised to monitor his future actions in support of its policies. Whether Zuckerberg will be able to gain the trust of Trump's inner circle remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: his attempts to maneuver in a politically charged environment are far from over.