As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term, Meta has announced significant changes to its global affairs team, which plays a critical role in managing content policy, elections, and its independent oversight board.
Nick Clegg, who has served as the Global Affairs chief since 2018, will depart the company in the new year, with Joel Kaplan stepping in as president of Meta’s Global Affairs team. Kaplan, who joined the company in 2011, has a background in Republican politics and previously worked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and served as deputy chief of staff for President George W. Bush.
Clegg shared news of his departure on social media, expressing his gratitude for his time at Meta and endorsing Kaplan as the right successor for the role. He stated, “My time at the company coincided with a significant resetting of the relationship between ‘big tech’ and societal pressures affecting the sector,” and noted his excitement about Kaplan’s appointment.
During Kaplan’s tenure as Vice President of U.S. Public Policy and subsequently Global Public Policy, he faced accusations of political bias, particularly related to content rules perceived as lenient towards Republican interests. Kaplan also drew attention for attending Senate hearings regarding allegations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
In recent months, major figures in the tech industry have sought to repair relations with Trump in light of his re-election campaign. Trump has been critical of Meta’s content moderation practices, alleging a systematic effort to silence him and his supporters. Following the January 6 Capitol riots, Trump was suspended from Meta platforms for two years, but his accounts were reinstated in 2023 for the upcoming presidential race.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly been working to foster a relationship with Trump, including a substantial donation to his inauguration fund following a meeting at the President’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Other tech industry leaders, such as the heads of Amazon, Apple, and OpenAI, have similarly expressed support for the Trump administration amidst a changing political landscape.
