Musk and Trump Mocked Bezos and Zuckerberg
New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan describe in their book "Regime Change" the desperate attempts of tech moguls to curry favor with the president after the 2024 election.
New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan describe in their book "Regime Change" the desperate attempts of tech moguls to curry favor with the president after the 2024 election.
The latest book by two New York Times correspondents, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, offers insight into the relationships between Donald Trump and leading figures in the tech sector after his return to the White House. In "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," they claim that Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos took desperate measures to get closer to Trump, only to be mocked by him and Elon Musk in private conversations.
The authors note that Trump proudly shared the messages he received with guests for days afterward, using them as proof of the two billionaires' humility. According to the book, the president said the tech leaders were literally "kissing his ass."
One of the more striking examples involves Zuckerberg's message to Trump, which included a photo of a letter from one of his three children. In the letter, the child-whose oldest was eight or nine-expressed anticipation for what he called "the golden age of America," a slogan Trump often used during his campaign. This move, as described, further cemented Trump's belief in how far they were willing to go to please him.
Bezos took a similar approach. During a dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin openly criticized the Washington Post, the newspaper he owns, describing it as one of his worst financial investments. This conversation took place months before Bezos unsuccessfully tried to secure a business favor from Trump for his space company.
The book recounts that Trump, in a conversation with Musk, noted how times had changed compared to 2016, when, as he put it, both Zuckerberg and Bezos openly hated him and sought to destroy him politically. Musk, visibly pleased, responded that it was "first-class ass-kissing."
Bezos later attempted to secure a concrete benefit. He warned Trump that SpaceX's dominance over government space contracts posed a risk and suggested that Deputy Defense Secretary Feinberg ensure greater diversity among contractors, which would open the door for Blue Origin. However, after reconciling with Musk, Trump further expanded SpaceX's access to U.S. launch sites, disappointing Bezos's expectations.
The authors also describe a detail from Zuckerberg's visit to Trump shortly after Thanksgiving 2024. Upon his arrival, Trump played the U.S. national anthem, but performed by the January 6 Choir, a group composed of individuals convicted for participating in the violent Capitol attack.
White House spokesman Kush Desai did not directly respond to questions about the mocking of Zuckerberg and Bezos. Instead, he emphasized that President Trump is committed to working with all American business leaders to strengthen America's innovative dominance. Representatives for Meta, Blue Origin, and Musk also declined to comment on the book's claims, further bolstering the impression of the details' credibility.
The book also notes that Bezos cooperated with Trump in a manner similar to his dealings with previous presidents, dating back to Bill Clinton, including a $100 million donation to Barack Obama's presidential library.
