Zuckerberg has ‘no plans’ to run for president
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has “no plans” to run for president, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
“Mark has no plans to run for president. He is focused on building the Facebook community and working on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” the Facebook spokesperson told The Hill, referring to the philanthropic group he founded with his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan.
Zuckerberg said “no” on Tuesday when asked by BuzzFeed News about any potential White House plans, offering a nearly identical statement saying he was focused on Facebook and the initiative. He didn’t immediately respond to follow-up emails from BuzzFeed, according to the report.
{mosads}Zuckerberg’s comment comes after substantial speculation and media attention around a potential 2020 bid for the White House.
The Facebook founder has not publicly indicated an interest in the office, but a series of moves he’s made over the past year led some to believe that Zuckerberg has presidential aspirations.
At the beginning of the year, Zuckerberg announced that he and his wife would travel to all 50 states and meet with community members everywhere they visited. His New Year’s resolution was immediately compared to a presidential listening tour, and his first stop on the tour in Waco, Texas, carried a presidential tone.
“We may come from different backgrounds, but we all want to find purpose and authenticity in something bigger than ourselves,” he wrote above a set of pictures posted about meetings with ministers and community leaders.
In the summer, he created a new class of Facebook shares that specifically allow him to serve in a government role for two years without having to resign from Facebook.
Most recently, Zuckerberg picked up David Plouffe, former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign manager, to serve as president of policy and advocacy at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Updated: 4:45 p.m.
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