On “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed Biden administration officials aggressively pressured Facebook to remove certain content.
“Basically, these people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg told Rogan. “We were like, ‘No, we’re not gonna take down things that are true. That’s ridiculous.'”
Zuckerberg has made similar accusations before. In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan last year, he said the White House “repeatedly pressured” Facebook to take down “certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire.”
He admitted Facebook sometimes gave in but suggested the company has learned from its mistakes. “We made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today,” he said.
The White House defended its actions, saying they urged tech companies to consider public health during the pandemic. They claimed they supported independent decisions while encouraging responsibility.
Zuckerberg recalled a specific incident involving a meme with Leonardo DiCaprio advertising a class action lawsuit for vaccine recipients. “They’re like, ‘No, you have to take that down,'” Zuckerberg said. “We said, ‘No, we’re not gonna take down humor and satire. We’re not gonna take down things that are true.'”
The meme was later included as evidence in a Supreme Court case brought by Louisiana, Missouri, and Facebook users over government influence on content moderation.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against the plaintiffs, stating platforms had independently strengthened moderation policies before government involvement. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote that platforms acted without direct government control.
Zuckerberg’s comments came shortly after Meta announced big changes, including ending its fact-checking program and easing political content rules. He also said Meta would adopt a community-driven approach similar to X’s Community Notes.
Additionally, Zuckerberg joined other tech leaders, including Jeff Bezos, in pledging $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee.