**Business Leaders Quickly Praise Trump’s Unexpected Political Comeback**

In a significant shift from their previous stance, business leaders rapidly extended their congratulations to Donald Trump on his election victory, following his controversial departure from office less than four years ago due to the January 6 insurrection. Prominent figures in the tech industry, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, and Apple's Tim Cook, were among the first to publicly applaud Trump on securing another term in office.

"Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory," Bezos said in a statement. "No nation has bigger opportunities." Zuckerberg echoed similar sentiments on Threads, highlighting future collaboration opportunities. "Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country," wrote Zuckerberg. "Looking forward to working with you and your administration." Tim Cook also extended his best wishes on Twitter/X, stating, "Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration."

The influential Business Roundtable, a lobbying group comprising over 200 chief executives from major companies like JPMorgan, Walmart, Google, and Pepsi, also put forth their congratulations. "Business Roundtable congratulates President-elect Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States," said the group. "We look forward to working with the incoming Trump Administration and all federal and state policymakers."

Prominent billionaire Mark Cuban, who had previously endorsed Kamala Harris, was quick to offer congratulations, tweeting just after 1am ET. "Congrats @realDonaldTrump. You won fair and square," Cuban wrote. He also congratulated Elon Musk in the same tweet. Musk, a notable supporter of Trump during the campaign, celebrated the victory on X with the phrase, "It is morning in America again," hinting at potential collaboration in the upcoming administration.

This enthusiastic support marks a dramatic turnaround from the criticism business leaders directed at Trump after the 2020 election. Following the Capitol riots, Cook had labeled the event "a shameful chapter in our nation's history," while Zuckerberg called for accountability from the former president. Bezos had previously praised Joe Biden's win by emphasizing the importance of unity, empathy, and decency.

Trump seemed to have repaired many of these strained relationships leading up to the election, boasting about renewed contact with executives like Google's Sundar Pichai and Zuckerberg. Bezos, despite a historically tense relationship with Trump, saw his Washington Post refrain from endorsing any candidate this election cycle, a notable departure from previous endorsements.

As the business community braces for a second Trump term, the U.S. stock markets responded favorably, showing significant gains by Wednesday afternoon in reaction to the election results. This indicates a readiness among corporate leaders to navigate the future economic landscape under Trump's renewed leadership.