Trump Features Mark Zuckerberg in New Picture Book with Sharp Remarks

Mark Zuckerberg makes an unexpected appearance in Donald Trump’s upcoming book, “Save America,” but not in a flattering light. The book features a collection of photographs from Trump’s first term and will be available to the public on Tuesday.

In this book, Trump includes an undated image of himself alongside Facebook co-founder Zuckerberg, accompanied by a rather harsh caption. According to a report from Politico, Trump stated, “He would bring his very nice wife to dinners, be as nice as anyone could be, while always plotting to install shameful Lock Boxes in a true PLOT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.”

The reference seems to pertain to a significant $420 million donation that Zuckerberg and his wife made to support election infrastructure in 2020. This donation has previously been a point of contention for Trump, who has voiced strong disapproval of such funding.

This week, Zuckerberg addressed his previous contributions in a letter to Republican Representative Jim Jordan. In his letter, he clarified that he would not be donating to election infrastructure in the future, responding to concerns raised by Republicans that such funding tended to favor Democrats. While these claims lack substantiation, Zuckerberg expressed a desire to maintain a neutral stance.

“Despite the analyses I’ve seen showing otherwise, I know that some people believe this work benefited one party over the other,” Zuckerberg wrote. “My goal is to be neutral and not play a role one way or another—or to even appear to be playing a role. So I don’t plan on making a similar contribution this cycle.”

Trump’s critiques of Zuckerberg are not new. He has been vocal about his displeasure with Zuckerberg and Meta, especially after the social media giant suspended his account due to his remarks related to the Capitol insurrection. Though Meta announced plans last year to revive his Facebook and Instagram accounts with “new guardrails,” these restrictions were lifted just last month.

In July, Trump escalated his rhetoric, asserting that if he is elected in November, he would seek to imprison what he termed “election fraudsters,” directly mentioning Zuckerberg in his tirade.

The text accompanying the photo of Zuckerberg in Trump’s book highlights Trump’s grievance regarding his Facebook suspension. It suggests a menacing tone, implying that should he engage in illegal activities this time around, he would “spend the rest of his life in prison.”

Last month, Zuckerberg referred to Trump’s reaction to gunfire at a rally in Pennsylvania as “badass.” However, he also made it clear that he would not endorse any presidential candidate for the current election cycle.

As the release of “Save America” approaches, it remains unclear how the public will respond to Trump’s portrayal of Zuckerberg and the underlying tensions between the former president and Meta. As of now, neither Meta nor Trump’s campaign has provided comments or responses regarding the book’s content.