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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off Meta’s earnings call to praise the Trump administration for its support of American tech companies.

Some shit you should know before you read: Over the last decade, major tech companies like Meta, Apple, and Google have faced increasing financial penalties from foreign governments for allegedly failing to comply with local regulations—rules that many executives argue are designed primarily to extract revenue from American firms. The European Union, in particular, has imposed a series of record-breaking fines, including a $1.3 billion penalty against Meta for violating EU data privacy laws under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Apple has also been targeted, with European regulators fining the company $1.9 billion in 2024 over alleged anti-competitive practices in its App Store policies. As these fines continue to mount, top executives, including Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook, have called on the US government to intervene, arguing that foreign regulators unfairly target American tech firms while allowing domestic competitors to operate with fewer restrictions. The Trump administration has signaled that it will begin defending American tech companies abroad, which these companies hope will lead to both diplomatic and legal backing to push back against what they see as “excessive” and “politically motivated” enforcement.

Trumpzuck

What’s going on now: During a call with investors on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg praised the Trump administration for its support of American technology and expressed optimism about the company’s future relationship with governments. He said, “We now have a US administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizes American technology winning, and that will defend our values and interests abroad.” He described 2025 as a pivotal year for “redefining our relationship with governments” and suggested that this shift could unlock new opportunities for innovation and business growth. His comments signal a notable change in tone, as Meta and other tech giants have faced regulatory challenges both in the US and abroad in recent years.

On the same day, Meta also announced that it had reached a $25 million settlement with Donald Trump over his lawsuit against the company for suspending his Facebook and Instagram accounts following the January 6, 2021. Roughly $22 million of the settlement will go toward funding Trump’s presidential library, while the remainder will cover legal fees and other plaintiffs involved in the case.

The settlement marks a significant de-escalation of tensions between Zuckerberg and Trump. In his book Letters to Trump, the former president openly criticized Zuckerberg and even suggested he should be imprisoned for Meta’s censoring of conservative voices on its platforms. Just two days after details of Trump’s book emerged, Zuckerberg confirmed to congressional lawmakers in a letter that members of the Biden administration had pressured Meta to remove content related to COVID-19—a move he now regrets.

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