White House denies Mark Zuckerberg was ‘asked to leave' Oval Office meeting about F-47 fighter jet
The report that Zuckerberg was 'asked to leave' the president's office during a White House visit last winter surfaced Wednesday in a lengthy NBC News report about the inner workings of President Trump's West Wing.
The report, which cited two unnamed sources, said Trump was meeting in the Oval Office with military leaders about the F-47 when the Facebook founder 'walked in unexpectedly.' Officialls allegedly asked Zuckerberg to wait outside due to concerns he didn't have security clearance.
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4 A Trump official denied that Zuckerberg was asked to leave the Oval Office.
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However, a senior White House official told The Post that the report had 'mischaracterized' the situation.
'He was not asked to leave,' the official said. 'He popped in to say hello at the president's request, and then left to wait for his meeting with POTUS to begin, which was scheduled to occur after the meeting with the pilots.'
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Meta declined to comment.
The sources who spoke to NBC News said officials involved in the meeting 'came away mystified and a bit unnerved' by the loose environment. One person reportedly described the fighter jet meeting as 'bizarro world.'
4 Mark Zuckerberg attended President Trump's inauguration in January.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
As The Post has reported, Zuckerberg has faced widespread scrutiny in recent months over his attempts to cozy up with his onetime foe Trump following his win in the 2024 presidential election. He was one of several Big Tech CEOs seated front and center at Trump's inauguration in January.
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Aside from personally visiting the White House on multiple occasions, Zuckerberg has taken steps at Meta that are seen as favorable to conservatives, such as ending the social media firm's fact-checking efforts and naming Trump ally and UFC President Dana White to his board of directors.
Last month, The Post reported that polling data showed Americans are widely distrustful of efforts by Zuckerberg and other Big Tech executives to suck up to the president.
4 An NBC News report detailed the inner workings of President Trump's Oval Office.
AP
Zuckerberg was deemed the most unlikeable Big Tech CEO, with 63% of Trump voters stating they had an unfavorable view of him, according to a survey conducted by the watchdog group Tech Oversight Project and Public Policy Polling.
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The NBC News report said that Trump's key Cabinet secretaries are a fixture in the West Wing and frequently visit with his closest advisers, including chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief Stephen Miller.
Trump reportedly affectionately refers to Wiles as the 'Ice Maiden,' with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich telling the outlet that she attends 'virtually every meeting that matters.'
4 Mark Zuckerberg has cozied up to Trump in recent months.
AFP via Getty Images
'President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history—a group of talented individuals who embody the diverse coalition that delivered his historic election victory,' White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said in a statement in response to the report.
'Cabinet Member and White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, has played an integral role in operationalizing his agenda through his administration and has ensured everyone is empowered with the tools to deliver on the president's mandate,' Budowich added.
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