Natalie Winters uncovers Zuckerberg ties to anti-Trump, far-left lawfare after NYT report

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded in 2015 by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan, has made substantial donations over the years to non-profits that are now actively pushing against the Trump administration's policies and practices both in the courts and in marketing/media, according to a detailed thread from War Room White House correspondent Natalie Winters.

CZI, which has the mission "to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our local communities" and "to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone," has distributed nearly $7 billion in grants since their founding. In a deep dive, Winters discovered that a great deal of funds have been given to groups that are actively opposing the new policies and practices of the Trump administration. Much of their work in the courts, in media, and in advocacy would not be possible were it not for the generous support of CZI, per Winters' analysis.

Winters said on Thursday that a "progressive foundation that Mark Zuckerberg has funneled $2 billion to is bankrolling one of the leading groups currently suing the Trump administration and @DOGE." She listed the Silicon Valley Community Foundation which Zuckerberg has an account with, which supports Protect Democracy, a progressive political group. 

The New York Times ran an article the day after the allegations, claiming "No, Mark Zuckerberg has not donated any money to a nonprofit that is suing the Trump administration." The article took direct aim at Winters and her claim that CZI was funding Protect Democracy, which in turn is part of "a lawsuit brought by labor unions against Mr. Trump to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency from getting access to government data." The Times states that "a spokesman for Mr. Zuckerberg, told The New York Times that neither Mr. Zuckerberg nor his wife, nor their joint philanthropic organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, had ever made a donation to Protect Democracy." 

In response, Winters released an extensive list of historical beneficiaries from CZI. The funding from CZI goes to education, technology, medical research, and other areas. These groups have used their funds to combat Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, to aid illegal immigrants in avoiding lawful deportation, to obstruct the confirmation of Trump's Cabinet picks, and generally to "resist" all things Trump. 

Zuckerberg, however, has changed his tune over the past year. He was in attendance at Trump's inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20 and donated $1 million to the inaugural fund. During the campaign, he spoke up for Trump, praising his fortitude following the assassination attempt against him in Butler, PA, calling Trump's reaction "bada**." The push by the federal government to censor Americans on Facebook seemed to get under Zuckerberg's skin as he revealed in letters to lawmakers that indicated that Rep. Jim Jordan's Facebook Files had only scratched the surface of uncovering what had been asked by the Biden regime of the social media giant.

Zuckerberg went on The Joe Rogan Experience and discussed the pressure that he said the Biden administration and Democrats put on Facebook to censor Americans' speech on Covid. He said he no longer identified as a Democrat, and vowed to stop giving political donations to that party or running cover for them on Facebook. He was in attendance at Mar-a-Lago dinners, as well. Winters alleged that his foundation is still backing Democrat initiatives and causes, though that database, per Winters, has been scrubbed.

As Winters details, CZI funds went to CASA in 2019, which also received funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. The group is "the largest Latino and immigrant-based organization in the mid-Atlantic, working to organize, advocate for, and expand opportunities for immigrants and working people." They specialize in "employment placement; workforce development and training; health education; citizenship and legal services; and financial, language, and literacy training married with community organizing, advocacy, and civic engagement." They have joined with The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project as well as five pregnant mothers to sue the Trump administration over the executive order to end birthright citizenship for non-citizen parents.

As is often the case in philanthropic endeavors, one foundation funds a second foundation which in turn funds non-profits which fund grants and projects for still other ventures. Winters notes that CZI has in previous years given at least $500,000 to Common Justice, a group that "develops and advances solutions to violence that transform the lives of those harmed and foster racial equity without relying on incarceration." This basically means that they seek to reform prisons by abolishing them. They are fighting against Trump's mass deportation plans under the perspective that it is putting more people in prison, causing "dehumanization and trauma." Common Justice is part of Protect Democracy, which has brought suit against the Trump administration. 

According to Influence Watch, Common Justice has received funds from CZI, albeit in a roundabout way. The Just Trust was established by CZI and spun off to begin issuing grants in 2022. It was given $350 million for a five-year effort in grant-making for criminal justice reform. In 2022, the Just Trust launched the Safer Communities Accelerator to fund more programs. That group took $4 million from the $350 million that CZI used to spin off the Just Trust and gave it to eight organizations, with Common Justice among them. Common Justice is part of Protect Democracy which has filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government's use of DOGE. Zuckerberg's wife Chan is the leader of the Just Trust.

The expose from Winters, which reveals funds having gone to some dozen left-wing groups over the years from CZI, shows how entrenched leftism is in American charities, corporations, corporate giving, and institutions. The same groups that Zuckerberg was funding through his charitable giving are the ones who are fighting now in courts and in activism to maintain the status quo.