YouTube to Pay $24.5 Million to Settle Trump Lawsuit Over Account Suspension
WASHINGTON D.C. - youtube will pay $24.5 million to former President Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit stemming from the suspension of his personal channel following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots, according to recent reports. This settlement marks the latest in a string of ample payouts by major tech companies to Trump after he challenged their decisions to restrict his online presence.
The suspension occurred after YouTube, owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent company), removed videos it deemed to have incited violence, citing violations of its content policies. The account was later reinstated in 2023.
This settlement follows similar agreements reached with Meta, which paid $25 million to Trump, and with the social network X (formerly Twitter), controlled by Elon Musk, which paid approximately $10 million.
Court documents reveal that the majority of YouTube’s payment – around $22 million – will be directed to the Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit association supporting the construction of a “sumptuous dance hall” Trump is building at the White House. The remaining funds will cover legal expenses and compensation for other parties involved in the case.
Trump previously leveraged his exclusion from platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to promote his own social network, truth Social, owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).
to date, Trump has secured over $80 million in settlements from legal challenges against large technology and media companies as winning the presidential election last November. He has also initiated lawsuits against entities like The New York Times and Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal. A judge dismissed the case against The New York Times, while Dow Jones recently filed for dismissal of its case.
The settlement comes as Google faces scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is investigating its advertising businesses for potential monopolistic practices. The Justice Department’s case remains ongoing, with judicial statements recently filed to determine the scope of the process. Reports indicate that Google executives,including CEO Sundar Pichai and founder Sergey Brin,visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida in anticipation of the case’s outcome.
