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The White House stated that Mark Zuckerberg was not asked to leave the Oval Office, contrary to a media reports. A senior official clarified he waited for his scheduled meeting.
File photos of Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump (AP)
A senior official from the White House has denied a report suggesting Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked to leave the Oval Office after he crashed into a meeting between US President Donald Trump and military leaders discussing the new F-47 stealth fighter jet.
According to the New York Post, the official said the report, by NBC News, “mischaracterised” the situation, and that Zuckerberg was not asked to leave.
“He was not asked to leave,” the official was quoted as saying.
“He popped in to say hello at the President’s request, and then left to wait for his meeting with POTUS to begin, which was scheduled to occur after the meeting with the pilots,” he added.
The New York Post’s report pointed to an NBC News report, which claimed that Zuckerberg was asked to wait and later leave as officials feared he didn’t have security clearance.
The NBC News report also claimed that a young aide came in during the meeting and showed Trump something on her laptop.
It was not clear exactly when the alleged incident happened.
“Expecting more privacy in the meeting with the commander in chief, some of the officials came away mystified and a bit unnerved. They quietly discussed among themselves whether the visitors and calls might have compromised sensitive information, with one asking whether they should be concerned about ‘spillage’,” the report mentioned.
Trump reportedly affectionately refers to Wiles as the “Ice Maiden,” with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich telling the outlet that she attends “virtually every meeting that matters.”
“President Trump has assembled the greatest cabinet in American history—a group of talented individuals who embody the diverse coalition that delivered his historic election victory,” White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said in a statement in response to the report.
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Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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