Trump holds call with Mark Zuckerberg over protests

US President Donald Trump and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg held a call on Friday over the ongoing protests across the country, revealed a report from Axios late on Sunday.

On a call with Donald Trump, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly "expressed concerns about the tone and rhetoric" the president was using in his social media posts about the nationwide protests against police brutality, said Axios.

The also reportedly outlined how Trump's comments were putting the social media giant in a difficult position.

Axios reports that the president called Zuckerberg late on Friday, after a tweet warning protestors in Minneapolis with action from the military as well as using the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," a line that was used by segregationists in the 1960s.

Trump later explained he was not aware of the phrase's malign history.

Facebook allegedly contacted the White House about the incendiary nature of the post and "urged them to make a change" even though the post did not violate the company's policies.

“I disagree strongly with how the President spoke about this, but I believe people should be able to see this for themselves, because ultimately accountability for those in positions of power can only happen when their speech is scrutinized out in the open,” Zuckerberg said.

The call comes as the tension between the White House and the tech giants intensifies as the president advocates for removing some of the legal protections social media platforms are entitled to.

In the past, Trump has argued that the likes of Twitter and Facebook have "unchecked power" and were stifling conservative voices.