Business | Schumpeter

Hollywood’s Trump-baiting Oscars

As Silicon Valley embraces the president, legacy media steers clear

This is a stylized digital illustration of the oscar statue wearing a red "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hat, set against a teal background
Illustration: Mari Fouz

Donald Trump’s election marked a “cultural tipping point”, Mark Zuckerberg declared as he hastily reorganised his company last month. After abolishing fact-checking and promising to move staff from California to Texas, Meta’s boss donned a gold chain and went on Joe Rogan’s podcast to talk about his love of martial arts. Meta is not the only Silicon Valley firm to have undergone a MAGA-friendly makeover. Elon Musk, who says he adores Mr Trump “as much as a straight man can love another man”, has rewired liberal Twitter as right-wing X. TikTok, whose users skew young and Democratic, thanked Mr Trump for postponing its national-security ban and sent its chief executive to his inauguration. Nearly every big-tech boss showed up; several made a personal donation to the festivities.

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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “The anti-Trump Oscars”

From the February 22nd 2025 edition

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