Facebook pushes back on Soros op-ed alleging ‘special relationship’ between platform and Trump

Facebook on Friday pushed back against allegations made by billionaire philanthropist George Soros that the social media platform has a “special relationship” with President Trump.

“While we respect Mr. Soros’ right to voice his opinion, he’s wrong,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.

“The notion that we are aligned with any one political figure or party runs counter to our values and the facts. We continue making unprecedented investments to keep our platform safe, fight foreign interference in elections around the world, and combat misinformation.”

Soros earlier Friday penned an op-ed in The New York Times claiming that Facebook has realized its interests align with Trump’s.

The billionaire Democratic donor noted that Facebook gave an embed team to the Trump campaign in 2016, although he acknowledged that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign declined the same offer.

Soros also pointed to reported meetings between Trump and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

After listing a series of other examples of decisions Facebook has made that Soros claims help Trump’s reelection chances, he argued that the profit focus of the company’s top executives is irreconcilable with the platform’s mantra of “trying to make the world a better place.”

“I repeat and reaffirm my accusation against Facebook under the leadership of Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg,” Soros wrote, referring to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.

“They follow only one guiding principle: maximize profits irrespective of the consequences. One way or another, they should not be left in control of Facebook.”