If You Can’t Beat Him…
| January 14, 2025Many of President-elect Donald Trump’s former implacable foes have started singing a new tune
Whether they are simply acknowledging political reality or aligning themselves with a new zeitgeist, many titans of tech and industry who backed Democrats in previous elections are now lining up to support Trump.
This appears to be the new tactic adopted by former foes of the president: butter him up, and he’ll butter your toast. Call it loyalty or egotism, Trump’s penchant for rewarding perceived allies may just be the ticket to former enemies getting favorable treatment by his administration.
“In the first term, everyone was fighting me. This time, everyone wants to be my friend. Maybe my personality changed, I don’t know.”
“They’ve come a long way, Meta.”
Trump has shown signs of softening under the outreach by Zuckerberg, Bezos, and the others, meeting with many of them at Mar-a-Lago and listening to their priorities.
What’s the prize:
Always a fan of a big bash, President Trump has watched approvingly as his inauguration coffers swelled to a record $200 million, eclipsing Biden’s $61 million. Will his legislative agenda be defeated by flattery? Is the president conscious of possible ulterior motives and his penchant for cronyism? That remains to be seen.
Here’s a sampling of executives lining up to migrate across Trump’s Mason-Dixon line.
META
How it started:
“The risks of allowing Trump to remain on the platform are simply too great.” —Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in January 2021, after suspending Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. Zuckerberg donated $400 million to fund election machines that Trump saw as a plot for voting fraud.
How it’s going:
“As an American, it’s hard to not get emotional about that spirit and fight.” —Zuckergerg in November 2024, after a post-election meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund (donations to Biden’s: $0). Facebook removed its Fact Check function, and appointed key Trump ally Dana White to serve on its board.
What’s the prize:
Meta’s social media platforms have long been under scrutiny by Washington, with policymakers accusing it of harming children, fostering hate and division, and spreading misinformation. Zuckerberg has been hauled before Congress multiple times and publicly humiliated. Pressure is climbing for lawmakers to slap strict laws on the entire industry and hold companies liable for platform content. Anti-trust legislation is pending against the big tech companies, which, like Meta, have just survived lawsuits from the Federal Trade Commission.
Meta may hope it can rebrand itself as an ally to the Trump team, and influence it to preserve the freedoms and immunity it has enjoyed.
PFIZER
How it started:
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in 2021: The events of January 6 were “deeply disturbing.” The company stopped contributing to major Republican lawmakers.
How it’s going:
Bourla met Trump for a policy chat at Mar-a-Lago.
What’s the prize:
The pharma industry is looking for funding to support research on cancer medications. Bourla asked Trump to secure dollars from both government and the private sector. Pharmaceutical companies also face increasing moves on Capitol Hill to reign in the cost of brand-name drugs, their key moneymakers.
Jeff Bezos
How it started:
Bezos described Trump’s actions in his first term as “inappropriate for a president” and “eroding our democracy.”
In a legal filing, he blamed Trump’s personal animosity toward him for Amazon Web Services losing a $10 billion Department of Defense contract to Microsoft.
How it’s going:
Bezos: “My point of view is, if I can help him… I’m going to help him.” Amazon is producing a highly complimentary documentary about Trump’s family, and has pledged $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund (Biden’s: $276,000.)
What’s the prize:
Bezos owns numerous companies subject to federal regulation and dependent on lucrative government contracts, including AWS, space exploration company Blue Origin, and the Washington Post.
AWS, which brought in half of Amazon’s profits last year, is competing with Google, Microsoft, and Republican megadonor Oracle for an $8 billion cloud computing deal with the federal government. Blue Origin is fighting Trump cozy Elon Musk’s SpaceX for a $3.4 billion moon-mission contract with NASA, as well as other launch contracts worth $5.6 billion.
Ford Motors
How it started:
Ford sided with California against Trump, supporting its green energy regulations and committing to produce compatible cars. Trump lashed out at the company.
How it’s going:
Ford joined the list of companies donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration.
What’s the prize:
Auto-makers fear that the president-elect’s love of tariffs could seriously impact their bottom line. Even cars that are built in the United States rely on as much as 75% imported materials, parts, and components — many shipped from China, Canada, and Mexico. On the day Trump dangled tariffs in the face of our two continental neighbors, shares of US automakers’ stocks plummeted, with GM closing down 9%, Ford down 3%, and Stellantis down 6%. Even Toyota and Honda took a hit, losing 2% and 3% respectively, in US trading.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
How it started:
Tim Cook: President Trump drew “a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis.”
Apple funneled millions to the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center.
How it’s going:
Cook pledged $1 million of his personal funds to Trump’s inauguration, “in the spirit of unity.” Biden fund: $0.
What’s the prize:
Apple is worried about a prior 10% tariff on its products and parts. In the past, Cook’s cozy canoodling captured a tariff exemption from Trump, who granted the absolution immediately following flattery efforts by the CEO.
The company is also is battling steep penalties and taxes in Europe. In September, Apple was ordered to pay Ireland €13 billion (about $14 billion) in unpaid taxes. The European Union has also slapped $17 billion in fines on the company. Cook has asked Trump to interfere on Apple’s behalf.
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1045)
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