Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg upset a lot of people when he appeared to support Donald Trump at his inauguration for his second term, and his latest move is also drawing strong criticism.
The billionaire hired a new president and vice chair of Meta, the parent company that operates Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, and many were surprised by Zuckerberg’s choice.
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Zuckerberg hired Dina Powell McCormick, Trump’s former deputy national security adviser, who will be the company’s vice chair and president. McCormick previously worked as a partner at Goldman Sachs.
The new Meta executive has also worked under other Republicans aside from Trump, including her role as an assistant secretary under former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the George W. Bush administration, and her new job at the social media company is raising eyebrows.
Trump took to Truth Social to praise the decision in his signature format.
“Congratulations to DINA POWELL MCCORMICK, WHO HAS JUST BEEN NAMED THE NEWPRESIDENT OF META,” he wrote. “A great choice by Mark ZIl! She is a fantastic, and very talented, person, who served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction! President DJT.”
Trump’s comment was shared on Threads with the caption, “I’m not shocked anymore, but consistently appalled,” and users replied in the comment section.
View on Threads
One user notified Zuckerberg that Trump’s boasting about Meta’s new hire could bring questions about the president’s influence on free speech. McCormick is also married to Republican Pennsylvania state Sen. Dave McCormick.
“@zuck, maybe you should tell him not to post this,” they wrote. “It makes you look really bad.”
Several people wrote that they were leaving Meta for Bluesky over Zuckerberg’s right-wing hire. “We need to get the hell off META. It’s time. I’m heading to Bluesky. Enough is enough.”
“This is Senator McCormick’s wife,” noted another. “I wonder if she is there to make changes to try and affect the platform as it relates to our elections. Let me go take a look at Bluesky.”
One user seemed concerned that folks’ accounts would be targeted if they didn’t share Trump’s views. “She is no doubt a trump supporter and will deactivate anyone’s account who doesn’t kneel before Trump,” added one.
One user suggested that Zuckerberg sold his soul, just as Twitter founder Jack Dorsey did with selling to Elon Musk. “Mark sold his soul to the orange devil too.”
Folks have been critical of Zuckerberg’s recent embrace of conservative views on the platform after Trump survived an attempt on his life at a MAGA rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. The 41-year-old called it “one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
With Zuckerberg’s hiring of Trump’s former deputy national security adviser, it sure seems like folks have good reason to be concerned.
