Nick Clegg Once Backed Trump’s Facebook Return, Now Meta Is Replacing Him With Joel Kaplan

• Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, has announced he is leaving the social media giant after seven years.
• The former prime minister of the U.K. will be replaced by well-known Republican Joel Kaplan, who has been key to Meta’s relationships with conservatives.
• Clegg played a key role in the censorship of Donald Trump following the 2021 Capitol riots.

Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, is leaving the social media giant and being replaced by Republican Joel Kaplan, who previously worked with Meta managing relationships with conservatives.

The move comes as CEO Mark Zuckerberg works to make amends to appease the soon-inaugurated President-elect Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused the company of silencing conservative views.

Clegg played a vital role in the banning and reinstating of Trump from Meta’s platforms following the 2021 Capitol riots.

Meta’s Conservative Replacement

In a post  on Facebook on Thursday, January 2, Clegg announced he was ending his seven-year tenure at Meta.

The former prime minister of the U.K. said he would spend “a few months handing over the reins” to his replacement.

“I hope I have played some role in seeking to bridge the very different worlds of tech and politics – worlds that will continue to interact in unpredictable ways across the globe.”

Clegg, who is leaving behind a reported salary  of over £10 million, praised his replacement, stating that no one could “pick up from where I’ve left off with greater skill and integrity than my deputy, Joel Kaplan.”

“Joel is quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time – ideally placed to shape the company’s strategy as societal and political expectations around technology continue to evolve,” Clegg added.

Nick Clegg Played Major Role in Donald Trump’s Censorship

In January 2023, Meta announced that Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts would be reinstated after a two-year suspension following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots.

As Meta’s president of global affairs, Clegg was tasked with explaining the rationale behind the decision.

He stated that Meta believed the public should be able to hear from political leaders, even controversial ones, on its platforms.

However, the reinstatement was accompanied by “guardrails”  such as enhanced content moderation policies and warnings about potential penalties for future rule violations.

Despite the reinstatement, Trump remained angry at the original ban and fiercely criticized Meta’s alleged censorship policies.

In July 2024, Trump urged  his followers to “GO AFTER” Meta and Google, accusing them of censoring content related to him.

The call to action followed allegations that these platforms suppressed information about his assassination attempt.

Shortly after the attempted assassination, Zuckerberg said in a Bloomberg interview  that Trump’s reaction to being shot was “badass.”

However, this did not stop the now-president-elect from criticizing the social media giant and threatening to imprison the CEO if the platforms interfered in the election.

Big Tech Bows to Trump

Following Trump’s landslide victory, Big Tech has been scrambling to cozy up with the new head of state.

Zuckerberg especially seems to have experienced a U-turn in his support for Trump —praising his policies, donating  to his inauguration fund, and spending an evening dining with the President-elect.

Kaplan, who worked as the White House deputy chief of staff in the Bush administration, has been key in managing relationships between Meta and conservatives.

The Republican’s appointment in replacement for Clegg highlights the shift in appeasing Trump and his potential future policies.