Mark Zuckerberg Tells Jim Jordan He Isn't Donating For Election Infrastructure In 2024: 'My Goal Is To Be Neutral And Not Play A Role One Way Or Another'

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced his intention to remain politically neutral during the 2024 election cycle.

What Happened: In a letter addressed to Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Monday, the Meta CEO stated his goal is to avoid any political involvement. “My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another — or to even appear to be playing a role,” Zuckerberg wrote, according to a report from Business Insider.

Zuckerberg also confirmed he will not be donating to support election infrastructure in 2024, unlike in 2020 when he and his wife contributed $400 million. These donations, labeled “Zuckerbucks” by Republicans, were criticized for allegedly benefiting Democrats.

Despite controversy, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found such private donations did not favor Democrats. Zuckerberg addressed Meta’s content moderation, noting past pressures from the Biden administration to remove COVID-19-related content.

He acknowledged that Meta’s decisions were influenced by government pressure, which he regrets. The letter also mentioned Meta’s suppression of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden’s laptop in 2020, a decision Zuckerberg now believes was a mistake.

See Also: Kevin O’Leary Cautions Democrats About Kamala Harris: ‘They Did The Same Thing With Hillary Clinton’

Why It Matters: The announcement comes amid heightened political tensions and scrutiny of tech giants’ roles in elections. Earlier this month, Donald Trump claimed that Zuckerberg had assured him of not supporting Democrats in the 2024 election, following an assassination attempt on Trump. Trump stated, “So Mark Zuckerberg called me. First of all, he called me a few times. He called me after the event and he said, “That was really amazing, it was very brave.”

In February 2023, Trump criticized Zuckerberg for a $2 million donation linked to the Georgia elections board, suggesting it violated state law. Trump shared, “No superintendent shall take or accept any funding, grants, or gifts from any source other than from the governing authority of the county or municipality, the State of Georgia, or the federal government.”

Moreover, the political landscape is further complicated by figures like Elon Musk, who recently voiced support for Trump despite historically leaning moderate Democrat. Musk’s political stance was discussed during an interview with Trump, which also covered various topics from AI to electric vehicles.

In contrast, Kamala Harris‘s campaign criticized Musk for using his platform to promote Trump’s agenda, highlighting the deep political divides and the influential role of tech leaders in shaping public discourse.

Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal