Meta taps Republican Joel Kaplan to head global affairs
The former chief of staff under George W. Bush replaces Nick Clegg just weeks before Trump inauguration
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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg (L) and Facebook's Vice President of Global Public Policy, Joel Kaplan (R) chat after leaving a meeting with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in his office on Capitol Hill on September 19, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Meta’s most senior Republican, Joel Kaplan, will replace Nick Clegg as the social media giant’s chief global affairs officer, three weeks ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. The move was announced on Thursday in a social media post by Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister and a previous leader of the country’s Liberal Democrats, who has served the post at Meta since 2018.
“No one could pick up from where I’ve left off with greater skill and integrity than my deputy, Joel Kaplan,” Clegg wrote on Facebook, which Meta owns in addition to Instagram and WhatsApp. “I am simply thrilled that Joel will now become Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer.”
Kaplan, who was the White House deputy chief of staff under George W. Bush, has served as vice president of global public policy for Meta since 2014. Kaplan has been outspoken against restrictions on political speech, arguing in private meetings that such policies would “disproportionately affect conservatives,” The Washington Post reported in 2020. Kaplan did not immediately respond to a request for comment through a spokesperson from Jewish Insider about his promotion.
Meta has donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, Reuters reported in December. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declined to endorse a candidate during the election. In late November, the Facebook founder reportedly dined at Mar-a-Lago with the president-elect, who was once banned from the social network after his posts following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Zuckerberg thanked Clegg for his contributions, writing on Facebook, “I’ve learned so much working with you and our whole team is better for having this opportunity. You’ve made an important impact advancing Meta’s voice and values around the world, as well as our vision for AI and the metaverse. You’ve also built a strong team to carry this work forward. I’m excited for Joel to step into this role next given his deep experience and insight leading our policy work for many years.”
Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta, also reflected on Clegg’s work in a social media post. “It is a hallmark of a great leader that when the time comes for them to leave, they have a successor who can fill their shoes,” Sandberg wrote.