Zuckerberg goes full Trump, Musk cuts DOGE expectations, TikTok's day in court: Politics news roundup
Plus, Google and Microsoft join the horde of companies funding Trump's record-breaking inauguration
Mr. Trump is returning to Washington — and tech giants don’t want to miss out.
Google and Microsoft have announced plans to donate $1 million to the committee planning President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, joining fellow tech titans such as Amazon and Apple (AAPL), whose CEO Tim Cook made a personal gift. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company also donated, revealed a slew of pro-Trump changes this week, including copying Elon Musk’s X’s Community Notes system. Musk himself also gave a somewhat sour update on his federal cost-cutting ambitions.
TikTok is also facing a new offer from a “Shark Tank” star as the company readies itself to fight a U.S. ban on its app before the Supreme Court on Friday.
Catch up on all that news and more — including Trump’s influence over a halted port strike and the current administration’s attempt to throw a wrench in his drilling plans — below.
2 / 11
A massive strike across the U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has been averted after a dockworker union and an alliance of companies, terminal operators, and port associations negotiated a new labor contract.
3 / 11
While campaigning for Donald Trump in October, Elon Musk claimed he could slash “at least $2 trillion” in government spending. Now that Musk has started laying the groundwork for his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, he’s not as confident.
4 / 11
Mark Zuckerberg’s metamorphosis from liberal tech titan to libertarian Donald Trump ally is gaining steam.
5 / 11
The nation’s highest court is preparing to hear the case against banning one of the most popular social media platforms in the U.S. — Britney Nguyen
6 / 11
Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) are the latest technology giants to officially make a major donation to the group planning President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, which is less than two weeks away.
7 / 11
President Joe Biden plans to block key areas from offshore oil and gas drilling in an eleventh-hour bid to upend his successor’s plans to massively expand those programs in the name of “drill, baby, drill.”
8 / 11
Outgoing U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan said Tuesday that she hopes her successor in the incoming Trump administration will not cut a “sweetheart” deal with Amazon (AMZN) and Facebook’s parent company Meta (META), as the agency continues its antitrust cases against the tech giants. — Bruce Gil
9 / 11
President-elect Donald Trump’s team is reportedly looking to cut down on his plan to slap every other country with massive tariffs of up to 20%, which investors have called the “greatest risk” for the U.S. economy.
10 / 11
Denmark is the latest in a series of countries that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened with tariffs — joining a list that includes the 26 other nations of the European Union, as well as Canada and Mexico. — Bruce Gil
11 / 11
Meta Platforms (META) is replacing its third-party fact-checking program with the community-driven system popularized by Elon Musk’s X, as the company continues to signal a warmer approach to President-elect Donald Trump.