Donald Trump’s stunning claim: Tech giants went from ‘fighting me’ to ‘wanting to be my friend’

US President-elect Donald Trump during his news conference on Monday (December 16), emphasized a contrast between his first term in office and his current presidency-in-waiting. Trump noted that executives are now eager to meet with him, a stark departure from the animosity he faced during his first term.

Tech leaders seeking Trump meetings

Trump revealed a series of high-profile meetings with Silicon Valley billionaires and tech leaders as he prepares for his presidency.

He has met with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at his Mar-a-Lago club. He revealed Google co-founder Sergey Brin had discussions with him, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is scheduled to meet with him this week.

Trump described the meetings as a sign of a major shift in attitude. “Everybody was fighting me,” he said about his first term. “This term, everybody wants to be my friend. I don’t know. My personality changed or something.”

“We have a lot of great executives coming in — the top executives, the top bankers, they’re all calling," he said. "It’s like a complete opposite from the first one.”

Health Secretary appointment: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Trump defended his nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the role of health secretary despite Kennedy’s history of vaccine skepticism.

Kennedy has promoted the debunked idea linking vaccines to autism.

Trump stated that while he believes in the polio vaccine and will ensure its continued access, he is open to exploring the issue further.

“We’re looking to find out,” Trump said about the rising autism rates. Despite his doubts about Kennedy’s views, Trump added, “He’s going to be much less radical than you would think.”

Florida Senate speculations

On the topic of political appointments, Trump expressed skepticism about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointing his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Marco Rubio’s vacated Senate seat. While praising her work as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, Trump said, “I probably don’t, but I don’t know” when asked about the likelihood of her nomination.

TikTok: A complex relationship

Trump revisited his previous stance on TikTok, stating, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok.”

While attempting to ban the app during his first term, Trump reversed course later. His comments followed a meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at Mar-a-Lago ahead of US ban deadline.