Trump Mocked Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos by Showing Off Fawning Texts

During a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump displayed a string of messages from Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, reveling in the obsequiousness of two of Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures. The texts—some sent by Zuckerberg to guests, others from Bezos—were shared with an air of triumph, revealing a man who not only accepted the flattery but enjoyed the spectacle of it. This moment, captured in the upcoming book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, highlights the complex and often transactional relationships between Trump and the tech elite following the 2024 election.

The Tech Elite’s Bid for Favor

In the months after Trump’s re-election, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos engaged in a concerted effort to align themselves with the former president. Zuckerberg sent Trump a photo of a letter written by one of his young children, echoing Trump’s campaign slogan of a “golden age of America.” Bezos, in contrast, offered a more direct approach, complaining about the Washington Post and its editorial team during a private dinner with Trump. These interactions, while framed as attempts at alignment, were met with a mix of amusement and mockery from Trump, who often recounted the encounters to associates and guests.

  • Zuckerberg’s texts included personal messages from his children, aimed at reinforcing Trump’s political messaging.
  • Bezos, in one exchange, described the Washington Post’s staff as “terrible”, a sentiment that resonated with Trump’s own criticisms.
  • Both men sought to cultivate a relationship with the president, even as Trump publicly dismissed their efforts.

A Rivalry in the Shadows

The book also details how Elon Musk seemed to revel in the spectacle of his Silicon Valley rivals groveling for Trump’s favor. During a private conversation with Trump, Musk reportedly called the behavior of Zuckerberg and Bezos “first-class groveling.” The dynamic between the tech titans and Trump was not one of mutual respect, but of calculated maneuvering and public humiliation. Trump, for his part, often referenced how these leaders had once opposed him, turning their past hostility into a narrative of eventual submission.

The tension reached a peak when Trump, weeks after Zuckerberg’s visit, showed off a photo of the Meta CEO’s child’s letter to guests. The choice of music during the event—performed by the J6 Prison Choir—only amplified the irony of the moment. Meanwhile, Bezos continued to push for a more favorable regulatory environment for his space ventures, even as Trump ultimately sided with Musk on key issues, including the expansion of SpaceX’s operations.

A New Era of Tech-Politics Entanglement

As Trump prepares to enter his second term, the book suggests that the relationship between the tech sector and the White House will be as volatile as it is lucrative. The interactions described in Regime Change underscore a broader trend: the increasing entanglement of Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., where power is not only exchanged but also weaponized. Whether this dynamic will lead to policy breakthroughs or further fractures remains to be seen, but one thing is clear—Trump has no shortage of admirers in the tech world, even if his response to their flattery is less than gracious.

The implications of this entanglement stretch far beyond the personal interactions between Trump and his tech counterparts. As the administration moves forward, the question of how these relationships will influence regulatory decisions, from AI oversight to space exploration, will be critical. The book’s revelations suggest that the future of tech policy may be as unpredictable as the man at its center.