Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ‘disgusted’ by Trump’s posts

The Facebook founder says he’s “deeply shaken” by the US President’s “incendiary rhetoric” – but still won’t ban it from his platform.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have said they are “deeply shaken and disgusted” by the “divisive and incendiary rhetoric” of US President Donald Trump.

The couple made the comments in response to a letter sent by more than 140 scientists who have been supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), their charity initiative started in 2015, which focuses on “using technology to help solve some of our toughest challenges”.

The letter called on Zuckerberg to "consider stricter policies on misinformation and incendiary language" on Facebook.

Some Facebook employees also staged a “virtual walkout” in protest over the lack of action by the company.

"This is an extraordinarily painful inflection point in our nation's story, particularly for the Black community and our Black colleagues, who have lived with the impacts of systemic racism for generations," the letter in response, signed by Chan and Zuckerberg said.

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The charity led by Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan hopes technology will provide the answer to all of our big questions. Picture: Jeff Chu / AP

The charity initiative is separate from Facebook but acknowledges the two share a leader.

“In this moment, we understand that CZI's relationship to Facebook is not an easy tension to bridge," the pair wrote.

The letter added that Facebook's policies "are not the decisions of CZI as an organisation”.

Last week the pair pledged their charity would commit to “redouble” its commitments to addressing racial inequality.

“Having more voices at the table that represent a diversity of perspectives, viewpoints and lived experiences isn’t just a good way to help solve the world’s biggest challenges — it’s the only way,” the pair said.

It’s a rare moment of political commentary from the typically apolitical Facebook founder.

Over the past year he has consistently reaffirmed Facebook’s commitment to not fact checking political ads from candidates, instead telling a Congressional hearing voters will punish politicians who lie because “lying is bad”.

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Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg rarely comments on his politics. Picture: Andrew Cabaellero-Reynolds / AFP

During a speech to Georgetown University students he said the amount of trouble political ads on Facebook pose the company “isn’t worth the very small part of our business they make up”.

“Given the sensitivity around political ads, I’ve considered whether we should stop allowing them altogether,” he said. “But political ads are an important part of voice — especially for local candidates, up-and-coming challengers, and advocacy groups that may not get much media attention otherwise.

“Banning political ads favours incumbents and whoever the media chooses to cover.”

“We don’t fact check political ads, and we don’t do this to help politicians, but because we think people should be able to see for themselves what politicians are saying,” Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg has never really gone on record to say which way he votes and while reports in the past have shown he is registered to vote, he is not a registered supporter of either the Democratic or Republican parties.

But given recent history has shown the sizeable impact his tech platforms can have on elections (whether he intends them to or not), Zuckerberg’s political leanings — if he has them — are often subject to conjecture.

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US President Donald Trump speaks during the "Transition to Greatness: Restoring, Rebuilding, and Renewing," roundtable at a Texas church earlier this week. Picture: AP Photo / Alex Brandon

In October last year he was asked by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about what was discussed at his “ongoing dinner parties with far-right figures” but he managed to avoid giving an answer.

That same week he faced a grilling in Congress over far-right affiliations, it emerged he gave Pete Buttigieg’s campaign advice on who to hire, as the former South Bend Indiana Mayor sought the Democratic nomination for the 2020 US Presidential election.

Bloomberg News reported Buttigieg’s campaign manager had received Zuckerberg’s advice, and ended up hiring two of his recommendations to fill roles as a senior digital analytics adviser and an organising data manager.

Bloomberg News was founded by Michael Bloomberg, who also sought the nomination before eventually dropping out.

Mr Buttigieg ultimately dropped out too and endorsed the presumptive nominee Joe Biden.