United States President-elect Donald Trump has said tech moguls, United States politicians, foreign leaders, and media personalities have been lining up to court his favour as he prepares for his return to the White House in January.
“In the first term, everyone was fighting me. In this term, everybody wants to be my friend,” Trump remarked to reporters on Monday at his opulent Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“I don’t know, my personality changed or something.”
Despite Trump’s quip, his personality appears unchanged. However, many former critics are now eager to align themselves with an administration where loyalty is paramount.
“For now, folks are estimating that it is better to be on his good side than not — the problem for them is that his good side changes frequently,” observed Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University, speaking to AFP.
Since the election, Trump has largely remained at Mar-a-Lago, leaving others to make the journey to his lavish estate. The list of visitors is a veritable who’s who of the tech industry.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited in November, attempting to repair relations after Facebook banned Trump following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai and Sergey Brin have also made the trip, while Trump revealed that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — a vocal critic in the past — is expected to visit later this week.
Major corporations like Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI have reportedly pledged $1 million each towards Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
On Monday, Trump hosted TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, as the Chinese-owned platform seeks to prevent a looming U.S. ban.
“Honestly, in the first term — I don’t know what it was — it’s like a complete opposite,” Trump said, reflecting on the change in attitudes toward him.
These visits highlight a broader shift as Trump, once shunned for his controversial actions following the 2020 election, returns to power with a decisive mandate.
The New York Stock Exchange recently invited Trump to ring its opening bell, coinciding with Time Magazine naming him “Person of the Year” for the second time.
In Congress, Republicans have softened their resistance to Trump’s contentious cabinet nominees, such as Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and vaccine-skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health Secretary.
Trump appeared to hint on Monday that Republican loyalists might challenge those who fail to align with his vision.
World leaders have also sought Trump’s attention. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a right-wing ally, visited, as did Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, amid Trump’s tariff threats.
Even outgoing President Joe Biden has tempered his rhetoric, appearing to prioritise a smooth transition despite Trump’s refusal to do the same in 2020.
Media figures have similarly softened their tone. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, long-time critics, visited Mar-a-Lago in November. Meanwhile, New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg described the current atmosphere as “The Great Capitulation.”
Trump has already demonstrated the cost of opposing him. This week, he sued a pollster and a newspaper over pre-election survey results showing him trailing in Iowa, a state he won decisively.
“Trump has indicated that he will make full use of the power of the presidency to go after anyone who challenges him, and now he appears to have a deeper understanding of how to do that,” Schiller noted.
As Trump prepares to begin his second term, his grip on politics, media, and global relations appears stronger than ever.
