Meta is heading to court starting Monday in a high-stakes antitrust trial that could reshape the future of social media.

The U.S. government accuses Meta — led by Mark Zuckerberg — of building an illegal monopoly in the social networking space by buying up rivals like Instagram and WhatsApp. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) argues that this “anticompetitive conduct” helped Meta dominate the industry unfairly.

If the court sides with the government, Meta could be forced to break up and sell off its major platforms. It would send shockwaves through the tech world.

But another factor could influence the case: former President Donald Trump.

While the FTC is traditionally independent from political pressure, Trump’s second term has seen increased interference across government agencies. And Zuckerberg has been actively seeking alignment with Trump. From private dinners to public appearances, and platform policy changes, Meta’s CEO has openly worked to build a “productive partnership” with Trump.

On April 2, Zuckerberg was seen at the White House. That same day, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that he was lobbying Trump to help resolve the FTC’s lawsuit. Critics like former Labor Secretary Robert Reich called out the apparent political coziness, pointing out Meta’s $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration.

It’s worth noting that this case originated during Trump’s first term, when his FTC appointees began investigating Meta’s acquisitions. Though the initial lawsuit was thrown out, the Biden administration later revived it with a stronger complaint. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who rejected Meta’s attempts to dismiss the case, will now oversee the trial without a jury.

Boasberg has previously ruled against Trump in unrelated cases and has since been a target of Trump’s public criticism — even being called a “Radical Left Lunatic,” despite his respected legal reputation.

In a move that’s caused further alarm, Trump recently fired the two Democratic FTC commissioners — Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya — even though a 1935 Supreme Court ruling says such firings need just cause. The two are suing to keep their positions. Slaughter warned that Trump’s attempts to influence federal agencies threaten impartial law enforcement.

So where does Trump really stand on Zuckerberg? It’s complicated.

In his book, Trump accused Zuckerberg of trying to sabotage him during the 2020 election, threatening legal consequences if it happened again. Yet after the 2024 election, the two met at Mar-a-Lago. “We had a really nice dinner,” Trump told NBC. “People like me now, you know?”

Zuckerberg has also seemingly responded to Trump’s complaints about “censorship” with policy changes on Meta platforms — a move seen as a political pivot.

Still, Trump hasn’t publicly endorsed Zuckerberg. And his pick to lead the FTC, Andrew Ferguson, insists the commission is fully prepared to go to trial against Meta. When asked whether Trump might order him to drop the case, Ferguson said he would follow any “lawful orders” but doubted such interference would happen.

Meta, meanwhile, is leaning into a nationalistic argument, saying breaking up the company would hurt U.S. competitiveness and give China an edge, particularly in AI. “Regulators should be supporting American innovation,” a company spokesperson said.

Meta will also argue in court that it faces plenty of competition from TikTok, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), iMessage, and others — platforms every teenager uses today.

Whether the judge agrees could determine the future not just of Meta, but of Big Tech’s unchecked dominance.