Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Shift to the Right

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement that he is ending professional fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram has sent shockwaves through the political and tech worlds. This move, while the most significant, is just the latest in a series of actions Zuckerberg has taken in recent months to position himself and Meta for the incoming Trump administration.

Zuckerberg was once a supporter of progressive causes, co-founding an immigration reform group and meeting with Barack Obama during his presidency. However, he began hinting at a political shift last summer, praising Donald Trump's fist-raising gesture after an assassination attempt as "one of the most badass things I've ever seen in my life."

In addition to ending fact-checking, Zuckerberg has taken other steps to align Meta with the Trump administration. He removed special restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts after the January 6th Capitol attack, attacked the Biden administration's response to Covid-19 misinformation, and declined to comment when Trump threatened him with jail time.

Zuckerberg's shift to the right is significant because of Meta's dominant position in online communication. While corporate America often adjusts policies to match political winds, Meta's influence on how Americans communicate makes this pivot particularly noteworthy.

Which Party Cracks Up First in 2025?

History suggests that when one party controls the "trifecta" of governing power (White House, House, and Senate), the new status quo has a limited lifespan, typically around two years. The pressure to make use of this power and the pressure to rebound from a loss create a dynamic where one party's control rarely lasts.

Looking at past examples, we see that Jimmy Carter's trifecta lasted four years but saw his party fragment by year three. Reagan and George H.W. Bush never achieved a trifecta, while Bill Clinton had it for two years. George W. Bush had it for less than six months before losing the Senate, regaining it after the 2002 midterms, and losing it again in 2006.

Barack Obama had the trifecta for two years before losing the House in 2010. Trump had it for the first two years of his presidency before losing the House in 2018. Joe Biden and the Democrats regained the trifecta after the 2020 election but lost it in the 2022 midterms.

This brings us to the current Republican trifecta, which will begin when Trump is inaugurated on January 20th. This is Trump's second time with a Republican-controlled Congress, and this time, he won't be at war with his own party. Republicans are aware that their hold on power is likely temporary and are working to enact their agenda before the 2026 midterms.

They understand that they are simply "renting" their hold on power until the American electorate decides otherwise.