Facebook co-founder donates $20 mn to defeat Donald Trump

New York, Sep 10: A co-founder of social media giant Facebook, Dustin Moskovitz said he was donating $20 million to help ensure the defeat of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential elections.

"If Donald Trump wins, the country will fall backward, and become more isolated from the global community," the American internet entrepreneur said in a blog post titled 'Compelled to Act' on Friday.

The 32-year-old multi-billionaire said the real-estate magnate's policy proposals were "so implausible" that they spark concern his White House run may be nothing more than a con game aimed at winning the election and boosting his brand, EFE news reported.

Moskovitz said Trump's signature plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, which purports to "improve the lives of Americans, would in practice hurt citizens and noncitizens alike."

"So, for the first time, we are endorsing a candidate and donating. We hope these efforts make it a little more likely that (former Secretary of State Hillary) Clinton is able to pursue the agenda she's outlined," the Facebook co-founder said in the post, which was also signed by his wife, Cari Tuna.

The November 8 presidential election has become a "referendum on who we want to be as individuals, as a nation and as a society," Moskovitz said.

"Will we be driven by fear, towards tribalism, emphasizing the things that divide us (...) while building barriers to separate us from the rest of the world? Or, alternatively, will we continue in the direction of increased tolerance, diversity and interdependence in the name of mutual prosperity?" he asked rhetorically.

He added that he hoped his support for the Democratic Party sends a message to the Republicans that "by running this kind of campaign - one built on fear and hostility - and supporting this kind of candidate, they compel people to act in response."

"Like many Democratic voters, we don't support every plank of the platform, but it is clear that if Secretary Clinton wins the election, America will advance much further toward the world we hope to see," Moskovitz wrote.

The Facebook co-founder said that, despite "reservations about anyone using large amounts of money to influence elections," he and his wife were committing $20 million to numerous organisations, including the Hillary Victory Fund, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

IANS