Trump mocked – A new book based on reporting describes how Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos tried to curry favor with President Donald Trump after his 2024 election win—only for Trump to mock their efforts behind their backs, relaying details to guests at Mar-a-Lago and other
When Zuckerberg and Bezos tried to impress President Donald Trump after the 2024 election, they weren’t just stepping into the second-term spotlight. They were also walking into a private world where the same messages they sent were being relayed—complete with the language of humiliation.
The episodes are laid out in the book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, detailed in reporting by The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, and reviewed here from a copy obtained ahead of its June 23 release.
In one account, Zuckerberg sent Trump a photo of a letter written by one of his grade-school-age children. In the letter, the child said they “looked forward to the golden age of America,” a slogan Trump had repeated during his presidential campaign.
Weeks later, the book places Zuckerberg and Trump in a high-gloss social setting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. It describes Bezos. meanwhile. over dinner there. pushing Trump’s complaints about The Washington Post while essentially framing the newspaper as one of his worst financial investments—months before Bezos unsuccessfully sought a business favor from the president.
Those private gestures were not landing quietly. The book says Trump kept telling associates stories about how Zuckerberg and Bezos were “kissing my ass” after they met with him. with Trump quoted as saying. “You would not believe the texts I got from these tech guys. I’ve got to show you,” as he addressed guests.
The contrast wasn’t subtle. The book also describes Trump taking in the visible deference of major tech leaders—including Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook—before turning around to criticize those efforts. In a conversation with Elon Musk, Trump is quoted saying, “Think of where these guys were in 2016. They hated me. They were doing everything they could to knock me down. And look at them now.” Musk, the book says, seemed pleased by the humiliation and replied, “First-class groveling.”.
Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, did not directly respond to the book’s reporting when presented with it. Desai said: “President Trump is committed to working with every American business and business leader to cement America’s innovative dominance. re-shore critical manufacturing. and accelerate economic growth.”.
Bezos’ side of the story carries its own practiced rhythm. A person familiar with the Bezos episodes said the Amazon founder has been working with Trump the same way he has worked with every president since Bill Clinton. including donating $100 million to Barack Obama’s presidential library. and intended to work with whoever next occupies the Oval Office. A spokesperson for Bezos’ Blue Origin did not respond to requests for comment. Musk, as well as spokespeople for Meta, did not respond to requests for comment.
The book ties the mockery to the mechanics of access—how fast favors were pursued. how quickly they were understood. and how Trump turned the act of courting him into a performance for others. The reporting describes Trump frequently mocking Zuckerberg and Bezos as they tried to win his favor after the 2024 election. including the texts he received from the Meta CEO that were shown to various guests.
One vivid scene involves Thanksgiving 2024. When Zuckerberg arrived shortly after the holiday, the authors write, Trump played the national anthem over the speakers. Then it became clear the anthem wasn’t coming from a standard source. It was played by a group of detained January 6 rioters known as the J6 Prison Choir.
Weeks later, the book says Trump showed guests and visitors “some of the ingratiating texts” Zuckerberg had sent. It also describes Trump stopping on a photo of the “letter to the president” written by one of Zuckerberg’s three children. The oldest of those children, the book states, would have been 8 or 9 at the time.
As for Bezos, the book portrays him as transactionally deferential while embracing and escalating Trump’s criticism of The Washington Post. It also describes Bezos sending Trump a selfie showing himself and his then-fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, over text.
Taken together, the accounts read like a record of what power can do to a relationship at the moment it becomes transactional: the messages that were meant to flatter become props, and the leaders who sought access discover they were also being measured—then mocked—behind closed doors.
Donald Trump Mark Zuckerberg Jeff Bezos Regime Change Mar-a-Lago Meta Blue Origin Elon Musk J6 Prison Choir Sundar Pichai Tim Cook cybersecurity
Sounds like everybody was trying to brown-nose him.
I mean the book is gonna say whatever to get clicks, but if Zuckerberg really sent that kid letter stuff… yikes. Trump’s probably laughing at everyone no matter what.
Wait so Bezos was mad at the Washington Post because he lost money? That part is confusing to me. Like isn’t that his company? If he was “kissing ass” then why would Trump be mad about texts he “got”?
This is why I don’t trust rich tech people. First they act all friendly, then it’s behind-the-scenes humiliation. Also, Mar-a-Lago sounds like a middle school lunchroom, like everybody’s jockeying for approval. The whole “golden age of America” letter from a kid?? That’s wild, and not in a good way.