A new book about Donald Trump’s second administration says Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos went to unusual lengths to win Trump’s favor, only for Trump to mock them behind their backs. The book, "Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump," by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, will be released tomorrow.
According to an early copy cited by Wired, Trump showed acquaintances flattering SMS messages he had received from the two billionaires and joked, "They are kissing my ass." The book says both men began courting Trump even before he won the November 2024 presidential election, hoping for a friendly relationship if he returned to the White House.
After the first assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024, Zuckerberg reacted to the iconic image of Trump pumping his fist with blood on his face by writing, "That is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life." He later said he could not support a Democratic candidate. Bezos, meanwhile, softened The Washington Post, which he owns, and blocked publication of an endorsement for Kamala Harris before the election.
Their efforts intensified after Trump’s victory, including private flattering meetings and a donation to his inauguration fund. The book says Zuckerberg once sent Trump a text with a photo of a letter to the president written by one of his children, adding, "I’m looking forward to the golden age of America," echoing Trump’s campaign slogan. At a meeting, Bezos insulted The Washington Post, calling it one of his worst investments and saying, "The people there are terrible and awful. They don’t listen. In my other companies, they listen." Trump later entertained friends for weeks with stories about how the two had "kissed my ass," and told Elon Musk, "Think where those guys were in 2016. They hated me. They did everything they could to hurt me. And now look at them."
