Trump claims Mark Zuckerberg told him he wouldn’t vote for Democrats

Former President Donald Trump claimed that after surviving an assassination attempt in July, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg called him and told him he would not vote for a Democrat in the 2024 election — a claim Meta disputes.

Speaking at New York MagazineTrump said: “Mark Zuckerberg called and said, ‘I’ve never supported a Republican before, but there’s no way I’m going to vote for a Democrat in this election.’

“He’s a guy who, his parents, everybody has always been a Democrat,” Trump added.

Zuckerberg he reportedly told the Republican presidential nominee, “I’m never going to vote for the people who are running against you after seeing what you’ve done.”

In a statement to New York Magazine, Meta did not deny the conversation took place, but disputed Trump’s account of what happened.

“As Mark has said publicly, he is not endorsing anyone in this race and has not communicated to anyone how he intends to vote,” a spokesperson told the magazine. Meta did not immediately return a request for comment from Quartz.

The former president and Zuckerberg have a complicated history.

Trump wrote in a coffee book published on September 3 called Saving America that Zuckerberg was plotting against him in the 2020 election. He also said the CEO would spend the rest of his life in prison if he did it again, according to Politico. He had previously called Facebook “enemy of the people”.

But when Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in July, Zuckerberg praised the former president’s reaction to stand up and raise his fist.

“Seeing Donald Trump get up after being shot in the face and raise his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen in my life.” he told Bloomberg. “On some level, as an American, it’s hard not to be moved by that spirit and that fight, and I think that’s why a lot of people like the guy.”

However, in the same interview, Zuckerberg said he will not endorse a candidate and has no plans to get involved in the election, including through donations.