Allegations have surfaced claiming that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, engaged in lobbying activities with President Donald Trump and White House officials to reach a settlement in the antitrust case against his company. The case, filed over alleged monopolization in the social media sector, involving platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to sources familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Meta representatives met with Trump and senior advisors ahead of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) trial scheduled for April 14. Zuckerberg’s recent visit to the White House was reported to be his third since the start of Trump’s second term, with some of Trump’s advisors expressing weariness and disapproval of Meta’s aggressive lobbying strategy. While Meta spokesperson Andy Stone emphasized engaging with policymakers regularly on issues affecting competitiveness, national security, and economic growth, both the White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and the FTC declined to comment on the matter. Amid accusations of impeding competition by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp, it remains uncertain whether Trump will settle with Meta. Despite the FTC’s status as an independent agency, Trump previously claimed control over all independent agencies from the White House. Following Meta’s significant acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, the FTC accused Meta of maintaining an illegal monopoly in the social media industry, with Meta allegedly overpaying for these acquisitions. Meta had requested the federal judge to dismiss the Commission’s case in April without a hearing. A ruling against Meta in the ongoing case could potentially lead to Meta having to divest from WhatsApp and Instagram.