Zuckerberg Adds Trump’s Buddy Dana White to Meta Board in Latest Kiss-Up Move
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has announced that John Elkann, Charlie Songhurst, and Donald Trump’s longtime friend Dana White have joined the company’s board of directors—part of an apparent bid to cozy up to the president-elect.
“Dana, John and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables and the future of human connection,” Zuckerberg said in a report published by Meta on Tuesday.
White added in his own statement that he’d “never been interested” in joining a board of directors until he got the offer from Meta. “I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future,” the President and CEO of mixed martial arts organization UFC shared.
“I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level,” White continued.
White’s friendship with Trump dates back to 2001, when Trump agreed to host UFC fights at his since-bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, at a time when the sport was considered too violent for most venues. The pair fostered a loyal friendship over the years since, with White accompanying Trump during some stops on his 2024 campaign trail and praising him during his election-night party.
“Nobody deserves this more than him, and nobody deserves this more than his family does,” White roared to the crowd. “He’s the most resilient, hardworking man I’ve ever met in my life.”
Zuckerberg has been trying to curry favor with the president-elect over the past couple of months, donating $1 million to his inaugural fund in December through Meta, per The Wall Street Journal, and meeting with him at Mar-A-Lago in November.
“It’s an important time for the future of American Innovation,” a Meta spokesperson said at the time, while confirming their meeting. “Mark was grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration.”
Meta also experienced a leadership shakeup last week with its head of global policy, former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, leaving the company after six years and being replaced by his deputy Joel Kaplan.
A prominent conservative, Kaplan served as the deputy chief of staff for policy during former president Geroge W. Bush’s administration and recently attended Trump’s celebration for his Time’s person of the year issue at the New York stock exchange in December.
“Honored to have joined President Trump and our next Vice President (and former Marine) JD Vance at NYSE today,” Kaplan wrote in a Facebook post alongside a picture of him and Vance.
