Donald Trump’s feud with Mark Zuckerberg has reached a new peak. On Tuesday, Trump took to Truth Social to threaten “election fraudsters” with imprisonment, specifically targeting the Meta founder. In his post, Trump declared, “All I can say is that if I’m elected President, we will pursue Election Fraudsters at levels never seen before, and they will be sent to prison for long periods of time. We already know who you are. DON’T DO IT! ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!”
This latest outburst adds to a long history of Trump’s animosity toward Zuckerberg and Facebook. In April, Trump had labeled Facebook as the “enemy of the people” and previously demanded Zuckerberg’s prosecution, alleging election cheating and a rigged system. His frustration intensified after Facebook banned him indefinitely in January 2021 following the Capitol riot. Zuckerberg justified the ban by stating the risks of allowing Trump to use the platform were too great and extended the block for at least two weeks, later reduced to two years.
Trump’s ire dates back to his presidency, when he criticized Facebook and Google for alleged conservative bias and hinted at a lawsuit against them. Despite a cordial interaction in 2019, where Trump hosted Zuckerberg at the White House, their relationship deteriorated significantly after the Facebook ban.
In 2022, Trump made bizarre claims about Zuckerberg visiting him at the White House despite being out of office, adding to the tension. The recent threat underscores Trump’s ongoing vendetta against Zuckerberg and Facebook. While the actual likelihood of imprisoning Zuckerberg remains uncertain, the post underscores Trump’s continued focus on his political enemies and amplifies the profile of Truth Social, although this has not significantly boosted investor confidence in the platform, which saw a decline in stock value recently.
