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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon laminitis Jeff Bezos sought to ingratiate themselves with President Donald Trump aft helium won the 2024 election, and successful instrumentality helium mocked their efforts down their backs, according to a caller publication by The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
Zuckerberg erstwhile texted Trump a photograph of a missive written by 1 of his grade-school-age children, who wrote that they “looked guardant to the aureate property of America,” a slogan Trump had repeated astatine rallies during the statesmanlike campaign.
And implicit meal astatine Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, Bezos denigrated The Washington Post to Trump and fundamentally described the paper arsenic 1 of his worst fiscal investments, months earlier helium unsuccessfully sought a concern favour from the president.
These episodes are elaborate successful the publication Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a transcript of which WIRED obtained up of its merchandise connected June 23. They exemplify the bonzer scramble by immoderate of the astir almighty men successful Silicon Valley to curry favour with Trump earlier the commencement of his 2nd term.
Weeks aft they met with Trump, helium was inactive regaling associates with stories of however Zuckerberg and Bezos were “kissing my ass,” according to the book. “You would not judge the texts I got from these tech guys. I've got to amusement you,” Trump is quoted arsenic telling immoderate guests.
The episodes besides amusement however Trump reveled successful the genuflections of the titans of Big Tech—Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook besides met with the incoming president—before relentlessly deriding their efforts.
“Think of wherever these guys were successful 2016,” Trump is quoted arsenic saying of Zuckerberg and Bezos successful a speech with Elon Musk recounted successful the book. “They hated me. They were doing everything they could to sound maine down. And look astatine them now.”
Musk seemed delighted successful the humiliation of his rivals, according to the book. “First-class groveling,” Musk is quoted arsenic replying.
Presented with the book’s reporting, White House spokesperson Kush Desai did not straight respond. “President Trump is committed to moving with each American concern and concern person to cement America’s innovative dominance, re-shore captious manufacturing, and accelerate economical growth,” helium said.
A idiosyncratic acquainted with the Bezos episodes said the Amazon laminitis has been moving with Trump successful the aforesaid mode that helium has worked with each president since Bill Clinton, including donating $100 million to Barack Obama’s statesmanlike library, and intended to enactment with whoever adjacent occupies the Oval Office. A spokesperson for Bezos’s Blue Origin did not respond to requests for comment. Musk and spokespeople for Meta besides did not respond to requests for comment.
The publication shows Trump often mocking Zuckerberg and Bezos arsenic they attempted to triumph his favour pursuing the 2024 election—revealing, for example, substance messages helium received from the Meta CEO to assorted guests.
When Zuckerberg arrived soon aft Thanksgiving 2024, the authors write, Trump played the nationalist anthem implicit the speakers. It soon became wide that this was nary mean rendition, but 1 by a radical of detained Jan. 6 rioters known arsenic the J6 Prison Choir.
Weeks later, according to the book, arsenic Trump showed guests and visitors immoderate of the ingratiating texts that Zuckerberg had sent, helium stopped connected a photograph of the “letter to the president“ written by 1 of the Meta CEO's 3 children, the oldest of whom would person been 8 oregon 9 astatine the time.
Trump was besides unsparing with Bezos, who is portrayed by Haberman and Swan arsenic transactionally obsequious successful indulging and doubling down connected Trump's criticisms of The Washington Post, arsenic good arsenic sending Trump a selfie featuring himself and his then-fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, implicit text.
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