Trump mocked Zuckerberg and Bezos despite their attempts to build ties, new book claims

A new book has claimed that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made repeated efforts to build closer ties with Donald Trump after his 2024 election win, but the former US President later spoke about those interactions in a mocking tone during private conversations. The claims appear in Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, written by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, which details how major tech leaders approached Trump during his political comeback phase.

Wired reported that the book describes a period after the 2024 election when several Silicon Valley executives moved quickly to reconnect with Trump through meetings, personal messages and informal discussions. Zuckerberg and Bezos are presented as two of the most active figures in this outreach, each using different approaches to get closer to the incoming administration.

Zuckerberg’s message and Trump’s private reactions

One of the incidents revealed involves Mark Zuckerberg sending Trump a text message that included a photo of a handwritten note from one of his young children. The note reportedly said they “looked forward to the golden age of America,” a phrase closely linked to Trump’s campaign messaging. The gesture is described as part of Zuckerberg’s attempt to establish goodwill after the election.

The book claims Trump later shared such interactions with people around him in a dismissive way. At one point, he is quoted as saying, “You would not believe the texts I got from these tech guys. I’ve got to show you,” while referring to messages sent by Silicon Valley executives. He also reportedly said Zuckerberg and Bezos were “kissing my ass,” using the phrase repeatedly while discussing their outreach.

Trump reportedly enjoyed pointing out how much things had changed since his first run for office.

"Think of where these guys were in 2016," Trump is quoted as saying during a conversation involving Elon Musk. "They hated me. They were doing everything they could to knock me down. And look at them now."

Bezos, media criticism and space competition pitch

Bezos is portrayed as taking a more direct, business-heavy approach in his engagement with Trump. During a dinner at Mar-a-Lago, he reportedly criticised The Washington Post, which he owns, and said, “The people there are terrible,” adding that the organisation was difficult to manage compared to his other companies.

In a separate exchange, Trump is said to have told Bezos, “This Washington Post is really unfair. You’ve got to take better care,” to which Bezos allegedly agreed, expressing frustration with the newspaper’s operations.

Later in 2025, Bezos met Trump at the White House and raised concerns about US space operations being heavily dependent on Elon Musk’s SpaceX. He argued that relying on a single contractor could pose national security risks and suggested opening contracts to broader competition, which could benefit his own company, Blue Origin. Trump reportedly told him he would consider the proposal, but no action followed.

The book also notes that Trump frequently spoke about Silicon Valley leaders in private conversations, suggesting their outreach was exaggerated and self-serving. At times, he was quoted describing their behaviour as overly eager, while also highlighting how their attitude had changed compared to earlier years.

It also claims Elon Musk, who was present during some of these discussions, reacted to Trump’s comments by saying, “First-class groveling,” referring to the efforts of other tech executives. The authors state that none of the individuals involved have officially confirmed these accounts.