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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he won't run for President, but the evidence is stacking up
Donald Trump may soon have some serious political competition after rumours continue to fly about Mark Zuckerberg running for President.
The Facebook CEO has been the subject of much media speculation after he undertook a nationwide tour to meet people in each US state as his “personal goal” for 2017.
However as calls for Zuckerberg to stand in 2020 continue to rise, the social media guru has made a rather brief statement concerning his future ambitions.
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Mark Zuckerberg set up Facebook in 2004
The rumours surrounding a Zuckerberg run for President in 2020 had increased in the last few months after a number of recent announcements.
A cross-country tour would be the ideal way for a future presidential candidate to sound out potential hot-button political issues that would endear him to the public.
It was also recently revealed that Zuckerberg had discussed with company board members how he might pursue a political career while retaining control of Facebook.
The discussions, unveiled in a class-action lawsuit, revealed that Zuckerberg could in theory stay at the helm of the social network for the space of a two year term in government.
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Zuckerberg also revealed on Christmas Day that he was no longer an atheist, having apparently rediscovered his Jewish faith after going through, “a period where I questioned things.”
Religious links are often some of the strongest ties to the American political system.
However, when asked today by BuzzFeed News whether he would be running for President, Zuckerberg simply replied, “No”.
Instead, the Facebook chief said that he is looking to concentrate on the charity set up by him and his wife Priscilla Chan.
“I’m focused on building our community at Facebook and working on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative,” Zuckerberg said.
However he would not entirely rule out a run in the future, refusing to reply to follow-up questions on the subject.
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The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative aims to fight diseases throughout the world
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has pledged to invest billions over the next decade to cure, prevent or manage "all diseases in our children's lifetime."
The organisation, launched after the birth of their daughter Maxima in December 2015, is now hoping to raise at least $3 billion (£2.3 billion) in medical research.
Chan and Zuckerberg donated 99 per cent of their Facebook shares (valued around ($45 billion) to help fund the organisation last year.
The foundation's investment will now cover three main areas, Zuckerberg said – collecting scientists and engineers together, creating tools and technology that will advance research and building the movement to find more science around the world.
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