Meta, the social-media giant run by Mark Zuckerberg, has promoted Joel Kaplan, the company's most prominent Republican, to lead its global policy team.

Kaplan, deputy White House chief of staff under George W. Bush, replaces Nick Clegg as president of the team, Semafor reported Thursday. Kaplan has been one of the most ardent advocates at Meta against restrictions on political speech, fearing such policies would disproportionately mute conservative voices.

Clegg was deputy prime minister of Great Britain from 2010 to 2015 and a former leader of the country's Liberal Democrats party. He joined Meta in 2018 to lead its policy and lobbying efforts and was named the policy team's president in 2022.

"I'm grateful for everything you've done for Meta and the world these past seven years," Zuckerberg said of Clegg in a statement, according to Semafor. "I've learned so much working with you and our whole team is better for having this opportunity.

"You've made an important impact advancing Meta's voice and values around the world, as well as our vision for AI [artificial intelligence] and the metaverse.

"You've also built a strong team to carry this work forward. I'm excited for Joel to step into this role next given his deep experience and insight leading our policy work for many years."

Meta's global policy team is now well positioned for a federal government that will be controlled by Republicans, Semafor reported. The company recently named Kevin Martin vice president of global public policy and Jennifer Newstead the division's general counsel.

Martin was chair of the Federal Communications Commission under President George W. Bush and Newstead was the top legal adviser to the State Department during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration.

Kaplan's promotion comes three weeks before Trump's inauguration, as companies are courting the president-elect's inner circle and backing away from liberal stances many embraced in recent years. Zuckerberg dined with Trump at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in November and was among the many Big Tech CEOs to congratulate Trump on his victory.

• Meta Donates $1M to Trump's Inaugural Fund
• Dick Morris to Newsmax: Be Cautious of Tech Leaders' Praise