Zuckerberg lobbies Trump to avoid Meta antitrust trial

Mark Zuckerberg is lobbying President Trump and White House officials to agree to a settlement that would prevent Meta Platforms from facing an antitrust trial later this month, according to people familiar with the matter.

- Josh Dawsey, Rebecca Ballhaus & Dana Mattioli

Meta and its representatives have met with the president and his senior advisers ahead of an April 14 Federal Trade Commission trial that could force the company to unwind its acquisition of the messaging platform WhatsApp and image-sharing app Instagram. The terms of a potential settlement weren't immediately clear.

Zuckerberg, Meta's chief executive, was at the White House on Wednesday, his third visit during Trump's presidency, the people said. Some of Trump's aides have grown frustrated at the company's lobbying strategy, believing it has been too aggressive, some of the people said.

"We regularly meet with policymakers to discuss issues impacting competitiveness, national security and economic growth," said Andy Stone, a Meta spokesman.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, declined to comment. An FTC spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump hasn't yet decided whether the administration will settle with the company over accusations that it bought Instagram and WhatsApp to quash its competition, according to a person with direct knowledge of his thinking.

The FTC was established by Congress as an independent agency. But Trump has moved to assert White House control over independent agencies, requiring them to submit major regulations to the White House budget office for review.