Alphabet-owned YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the suspension of his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, according to a court filing on Monday.
Why It Matters
With this agreement, Google becomes the last major tech platform to settle lawsuits Trump filed in July 2021, claiming that they unlawfully silenced conservative viewpoints. Trump also sued Twitter (now X), Facebook owner Meta, and Alphabet executives.
Meta and X reached settlements earlier this year, with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta agreeing to pay roughly $25 million in January, and Elon Musk’s X agreeing to pay around $10 million in February in separate cases.
What to Know
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel in January 2021 after the Capitol riot, removing a video and blocking new uploads while citing violations of its policies against inciting violence.
YouTube leadership said the restrictions would remain until the company determined the “risk of real-world violence” had decreased. The channel was reinstated in 2023 after YouTube evaluated that risk.
Under the settlement, $22 million will be paid on Trump’s behalf to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit filing says is building a $200 million ballroom at the White House. Meta’s settlement similarly designated $22 million for a fund tied to Trump’s planned presidential library in Miami.
The remaining $2.5 million from the YouTube settlement will go to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union, which sponsors the Conservative Political Action Conference, and author Naomi Wolf.
YouTube did not admit wrongdoing and will not change products or policies as part of the settlement. Trump’s account was not permanently removed in 2021 but was suspended from uploading new videos until its restoration in 2023.
The settlement was disclosed just a week before an Oct. 6 hearing before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers in Oakland to discuss the case.
Reactions
Eric Daugherty, a pro-Trump media personality, posted on X:
“BREAKING – BIG TRUMP WIN: YouTube agrees to pay $24.5 MILLION to settle a lawsuit over the company suspending President Trump’s account following January 6th. This is an ADMISSION it was overt political, unjustified censorship. VICTORY.”
Trump lawyer John P. Coale told the Wall Street Journal that Trump’s return to office influenced Big Tech companies to settle:
“If he had not been re-elected, we would have been in court for 1,000 years. It was his re-election that made the difference.”
Trump critic and liberal media personality Keith Olbermann posted on X:
“About the YouTube bribe-of-dressed-as-a-settlement-with Trump: a) do the bullied never learn that the only response the bully understands is the goring of the groin? b) as I say to all trying to start in media, all platforms: just remember – there are NO adults.”
What Happens Next
The settlements represent a legal victory for Trump and highlight ongoing tensions over how tech companies moderate content while facing accusations of political bias and pressure from both lawmakers and users.
