In a bizarre turn of events at the White House, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was reportedly asked to leave President Donald Trump’s Oval Office after he walked into a high-level military meeting discussing the Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet platform, according to an NBC News report.
Officials present at the meeting were reportedly “mystified and a bit unnerved” by Zuckerberg’s unexpected entrance, especially since the Meta chief did not have the required security clearance to be part of the sensitive discussion.
Sources quoted in the report stated that Zuckerberg was asked to wait outside so the meeting could proceed without disruption. The exact timing of the incident remains unclear, but it has raised concerns about privacy protocols within the Oval Office.
One military official described the atmosphere as a “bizarro world” following Zuckerberg’s brief and unexpected appearance.
White House Denies Misconduct
However, in contrast to these reports, a senior White House official pushed back on the claims in a statement to the Daily Mail, saying the incident had been “mischaracterised.”
“Zuckerberg popped in to say hello at the President’s request, and then left to wait for his meeting with POTUS to begin, which was scheduled to occur after the meeting with the pilots,” the official clarified.
Zuckerberg’s Evolving Political Ties
Mark Zuckerberg has had a complicated political trajectory, having initially supported Democratic immigration reforms before seemingly shifting toward the MAGA agenda during Trump’s re-election bid last year.
Zuckerberg even attended Donald Trump’s inauguration in January alongside other tech titans like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Sundar Pichai. Musk, once seen as a Trump ally, has since had a public falling-out with the President.
While it’s still unclear what the real nature of Zuckerberg’s Oval Office visit was, the conflicting reports reflect ongoing tensions between tech giants and national leadership in an increasingly politically charged landscape.