Trump supporters chanted “lock him up” as former President Donald Trump took aim at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a rally in Perry, Georgia on Saturday.
Trump claimed Zuckerberg gave $45 million to Georgia officials “to fund election-related activities.” In the context of the rest of his speech, it appears he was trying to imply something nefarious was happening.
Trump’s claim appears to come from a Fox News report, which cited a report from the Foundation for Government Accountability that claimed that they money went to more Democratic leaning counties.
At the rally, after Trump’s supporters chanted “lock him up,” the former president responded: “Well, they should be looking at that. What is that all about?”
Last year, Zuckerberg and his wife did donate $400 million to fill funding gaps for local election jurisdictions across the country through the non-profit Center for Tech and Civic Life.
But the funds were meant to address costs for things like staffing, personal protective equipment (PPE) for poll workers, and polling place rental, the non-profit said. The Center for Tech and Civic Life said funds were not distributed on a partisan basis. A map from the non-profit shows jurisdictions across the country that applied for the funds.
Trump’s anger at Facebook is likely because he is currently banned from the social media giant until at least 2023. The company, along with other social media giants, removed him from their platforms in response to the January 6 Capitol riot. The former president has sued the social media companies in an attempt to get back on the platforms.
The crowd’s chant about Zuckerberg was similar to the “lock her up” refrain Trump supporters have directed towards Hillary Clinton since the 2016 election.
Spurred by the former president, attendees at Saturday’s rally repeated the “lock her up” chant, also booing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for recognizing President Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Trump continues to claim that Biden’s victory in the 2020 election was fraudulent, even though there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
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