Donald Trump has stated that Meta Platforms Inc. META CEO Mark Zuckerberg told him that he will not be endorsing a Democrat in the 2024 election, after the assassination attempt on the former President.
What Happened: While speaking with Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on Friday, the Republican presidential nominee, said that Zuckerberg reached out to him following the assassination attempt.
“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,'” Trump said.
Adding, “And he actually announced he’s not gonna support a Democrat because he can’t because he respected me for what I did that day.”
Trump also stated that Zuckerberg apologized for the censorship of a photo on Facebook and Instagram, taken immediately after the July 13 shooting. Meta has confirmed the error and apologized for the mistaken censorship.
Trump also accused Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google of censoring content about him, stating that the tech giant never apologized for the alleged censorship.
“I have a feeling Google’s going to be closed to a shutdown because I don’t think Congress is going to take it,” he stated, adding, “Google has to be careful.”
Google has previously responded to these allegations by stating that its internal system wasn’t providing predictions for queries about the assassination attempt due to built-in protections related to political violence.
Why It Matters: Last month, Zuckerberg praised Trump’s handling of the assassination attempt, despite not endorsing him or any other candidate for the upcoming elections.
“Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most bad**s things I've ever seen in my life,” the Meta CEO stated at the time.
Adding, “As an American, it's, like, hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that's why a lot of people like the guy.”
Meanwhile, the FBI disclosed that the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had also conducted internet searches about the attempted assassination of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Using aliases and encrypted communication accounts, the suspect purchased firearm supplies and materials for building explosive devices.
He opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, where Trump was speaking, resulting in one death and two injuries before being killed by a Secret Service sniper.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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