On January 7th, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of social media giant Meta, announced the discontinuation of the fact-checking procedure. Despite facing severe criticism from the left-wing, Zuckerberg stated that he would collaborate with the incoming president, Trump, to restore freedom of speech on Meta-owned platforms. This move received praise from conservatives and Trump himself. How did Zuckerberg make such a significant turnaround?
Zuckerberg announced the change regarding ending third-party fact-checking systems on Meta-owned platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in a video on January 7th. He also criticized the Biden administration and “traditional media” for allegedly promoting more speech censorship on social media platforms.
Facebook, the world’s largest social media platform, will abandon the fact-checking program and switch to a user-generated and led “Community Notes” system according to Zuckerberg. This system resembles the one used on the X platform, reformed and launched by tech billionaire Elon Musk after acquiring the predecessor of Twitter.
Conservatives have long believed that Meta’s fact-checking process exhibited political bias, suppressing and blocking conservative opinions on the platform, leading to serious harm to freedom of speech.
Zuckerberg stated that his policy change is also to embrace freedom of speech anew, and he considers the November 2024 election and Trump’s victory as a “cultural turning point prioritizing speech,” driving the latest decision of his company.
He said, “The recent election feels like a cultural turning point towards prioritizing speech again. So, we will return to basics, focus on reducing errors, simplify our policies, and restore freedom of speech on our platform.”
After Trump’s victory in the 2016 election, Meta began fact-checking in December 2016, actively participating in the comprehensive campaign against so-called “internet lies,” believed to be partly responsible for Trump’s unexpected win. Over the years, this tech giant has touted its collaboration with over 100 organizations in more than 60 languages to combat misinformation.
Now, Meta claims that fact-checking platform posts over the years have become too strict in restricting speech.
Zuckerberg said, “After Trump’s first election in 2016, traditional media continuously reported how misinformation was threatening democracy. We genuinely tried to address these issues but did not want to be the arbiter of truth. However, fact-checkers’ political biases were too great; they destroyed more trust than they created.”
He also mentioned relocating the content moderation team from California to Texas. California is considered the stronghold of the extreme left in the U.S., while Texas is a conservative base. Zuckerberg stated that he believes stationing these employees in a place “less concerned about our team’s bias” will help Meta establish trust.
This move also resonates with Musk’s appeal, asserting that there is no less free environment for the tech industry than Silicon Valley in California.
Zuckerberg also expressed plans to collaborate with the new Trump administration to counter those targeting American companies and promoting speech censorship systems. He also expressed concern over the speech censorship system implemented by the American government “over the past four years.”
Trump welcomed Zuckerberg’s policy shift, stating to media reporters, “Honestly, I think they’ve come a long way – Meta, Facebook. I think they’ve come a long way.”
When asked if this was a response to Trump’s threats, Trump replied, “Perhaps.”
During Trump’s first presidential term, Meta not only censored speeches from Trump and his supporters but also completely banned Trump from Facebook for two years following the Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021, which angered Trump.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuckerberg donated $400 million to help the Democratic Party in the 2020 elections. Trump and Republicans have continuously accused Zuckerberg of election interference.
In Save America published in September 2024, Trump threatened Zuckerberg that if he interfered in the 2024 election again, he would face “life imprisonment.”
In the book, Trump said, “He (Zuckerberg) told me that no one on Facebook is like Trump. But at the same time, for whatever reason, he always made the platform unfavorable to me. We are closely monitoring him, and if he does anything illegal this time, he will spend his life in prison – just like anyone else who cheated in the 2024 presidential election.”
Conservatives welcomed Zuckerberg’s latest move, seeing it as a victory for freedom of speech and a shift in trends.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro posted on X, saying, “This is a huge change in direction for Facebook. Zuckerberg clarified his vision of freedom of speech at Georgetown University in 2019, shocking and startling the left; however, Facebook subsequently caved and implemented extensive speech censorship. Now the trends have shifted. This benefits Zuckerberg.”
In 2019, Zuckerberg announced not to fact-check political ads. In 2023, he also stopped fact-checking claims of election fraud related to the 2020 election.
The left accused Zuckerberg of canceling fact-checking as a surrender to Trump, who is expected to return to office.
Left-wing commentator Roland Martin criticized Zuckerberg on X, saying, “This is 100% Mark Zuckerberg’s surrender. It is simply despicable.”
Business analysts view Zuckerberg’s major shift as a political strategy considering the company’s interests.
Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at the market research firm Emarketer, told the Associated Press, “Meta is repositioning its company for the incoming Trump administration. This move will please conservatives who often criticize Meta’s speech review, but it will also scare many liberals and advertisers, showing the extent to which Zuckerberg is willing to go to win Trump’s approval.”
During the 2024 election, Zuckerberg publicly stated that he would not endorse any presidential candidate or vote for either side. However, during the campaign, Zuckerberg no longer publicly criticized Trump and his attitude and position towards Trump softened.
Ahead of the Republican National Convention in July 2024 – where Trump was set to become the Republican presidential candidate – Meta announced on July 12th the full restoration of Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. Previously, in January 2023, Meta partially restored Trump’s accounts with certain restrictions, indicating future judgments based on Trump’s conduct.
After the shocking Trump assassination attempt on July 13, Zuckerberg admired Trump’s brave performance, with blood on his face yet standing up. In early August, after the unsuccessful assassination attempt at a campaign rally, Zuckerberg called Trump.
Trump said, “Mark Zuckerberg called me. First of all, he called me twice. He called me right after the event (rally) ended, saying it was really amazing! It was really brave! He practically announced that he would not support the Democratic Party because he cannot (support them anymore), as he respects what I did that day. I think what I did… to me, that was a normal response.”
Furthermore, Trump mentioned that Zuckerberg apologized during the call for Facebook mistakenly labeling a photo of Trump standing up with blood on his face after the assassination attempt with a “fact-check” label. The photo quickly made headlines worldwide and went viral on the internet.
Later on a podcast show in October, Trump also softened his criticism of Zuckerberg. Trump expressed that Zuckerberg “not participating in the election” was “a good thing,” thanking Zuckerberg for his phone call after the attempted assassination in July.
In August of the previous year, during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Zuckerberg expressed regret for not being more direct in opposing the Biden administration’s demand for his platform to review content related to COVID-19 under “government pressure.” In a letter to the committee, Zuckerberg stated that Biden administration officials “pressured Meta several times” to review its content in 2021. Zuckerberg vowed to push back if a similar situation occurs again.
After the outcome of the November 2024 election was revealed, Zuckerberg visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on the evening before Thanksgiving. This indicated that their once strained relationship had thawed significantly.
The meeting was considered an olive branch extended by Trump to Zuckerberg, showing Trump’s generosity in abandoning past grievances. A Meta spokesperson told the media after the meeting, “Mark appreciates President Trump inviting him to dinner and giving him the opportunity to meet with his team members for the incoming government. It’s an important moment for the future of American innovation.”
On December 12, Meta announced a $1 million donation to Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Stephen Miller, appointed as the new White House Deputy Chief of Staff by Trump, stated that Zuckerberg and other business leaders want to support Trump’s economic plans.
Meta’s policy team and board members have also undergone restructuring.
On January 2, Meta announced that Nick Clegg, the former UK Deputy Prime Minister who served as the company’s Global Affairs Chief since 2018, would resign. The position will be taken over by Joel Kaplan, Clegg’s deputy vice president.
Kaplan, a former White House Deputy Chief of Staff under George W. Bush, was found alongside President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance at an event at the New York Stock Exchange in December.
This reshuffle, three weeks before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, is seen as a new sign of how Meta and Zuckerberg are positioning themselves for the incoming Trump administration.
Subsequently, on January 6, two weeks before Trump’s inauguration, Meta appointed Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to join the company’s board of directors. White is a long-time friend of Trump, and he delivered a crucial speech at the Republican National Convention this summer; on election night, White joined Trump onstage at the victory party, thanking many podcasters and influencers who, along with the UFC, were believed to enhance Trump’s appeal among young people.
Zuckerberg has also trained in mixed martial arts, and on January 6, he praised White on Facebook for building UFC into “one of the world’s most valuable, fastest-growing, and popular sports enterprises,” saying, “I admire his ability as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”
White’s entry into the Meta board is seen as another gesture from Zuckerberg to please Trump.
On January 7, Zuckerberg went further to announce the complete termination of the fact-checking program, ending speech censorship on Meta’s platforms.
Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission chairman nominated by Trump, positively commented on a post containing Zuckerberg’s statement on X and included an enthusiastic thumbs-up emoji.