Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might face consequences from Donald Trump, after the royal couple issued a statement criticizing Meta’s decision to eliminate fact-checking.
The pair’s statement came in the wake of news that the Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media company — at the helm of platforms like Facebook and Instagram — to do away with its use of third-party fact-checkers for its various sites. The enactment of the new fact-checking policy sparked concerns given its conspicuous closeness to Trump’s second presidential inauguration, which Harry and Meghan’s statement vaguely alludes to.
Published on their website, The Sussexes statement outright declares that the changes to Meta’s fact-checking policies are “undoubtedly responding to political winds,” like an oncoming Trump presidency, and said they will contribute to an “intentionally disruptive information environment” on social media. In another veiled reference to Trump, Harry and Meghan wrote that “the politics of one country should never determine” the blanket rules and protections of a company that is “clearly shaping or destroying democracy.”
More broadly, the statement accused Meta of making policy changes that contradict its stated values, and expressed concern that it was “prioritiz[ing] those using the platforms to spread hate, lies and division at the expense of everyone else.” While the statement doesn’t outright mention him, one insider has claimed that the Sussexes should be prepared for reaction from Trump, saying the royal couple should predict “a repercussion from” their statement.
Speaking with Newsweek, PR guru Nick Ede compared Harry and Meghan’s references to Trump in the statement to “poking this ginormous bear,” and warned them that they should be “expecting something back from it.” Ede went on to claim that the president-elect might even enact a vendetta against the royal couple during his second term, saying Trump will see the war of words “as a battle that he wants to win,” and will potentially take steps to “target them in whatever way he does it.” Adding to concerns is Trump’s history with Harry, who he once name-dropped while speaking of his plans for mass deportation.
This interaction — which saw the former president float the idea of deporting Harry on the grounds of his previous drug use and its effect on his visa — does little to cool the temperature between Harry and Trump, and is now amplified by the Sussexes recent statement. “This is quite incendiary in that respect because we know Trump is not a fan of theirs,” Ede said, “and this could be a way to negatively affect them.” He concluded that this won’t be the last time we will hear of this story because “I don’t think it will stop.”
On the Meghan front, the Duchess has in the past called Trump “divisive,” and received a response from the former president after she seemed to show support for Joe Biden back in 2020. However, Trump’s relations with the royal family aren’t all as tenuous, with the president-elect last month praising Prince William and expressing gratitude for the reign of his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. Trump also described King Charles as a “really good person” and his wife, Queen Camilla, as “fantastic.”
In any case, the Sussexes recent statement aligns with the goals of The Parents Network, a principal program about internet safety that forms part of their philanthropic efforts with the Archwell Foundation.
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By: Tom Disalvo
Title: ‘Trump will see this as a battle’: Prince Harry and Meghan may face ‘retaliation’ from Donald after ‘poking this ginormous bear’
Sourced From: wegotthiscovered.com/celebrities/trump-will-see-this-as-a-battle-prince-harry-and-meghan-may-face-retaliation-from-donald-after-poking-this-ginormous-bear/
Published Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:01:49 +0000
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