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Alphabet-owned YouTube has reached a $24.5 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump over the suspension of his account following the January 2021 Capitol riots. The agreement, disclosed in a court filing, makes Google the last of the major tech giants to resolve litigation Trump initiated in July 2021. At that time, he accused YouTube, Twitter (now X), and Facebook parent Meta of unlawfully censoring conservative viewpoints.
Earlier this year, Meta and X also settled their respective lawsuits. Meta agreed to pay about $25 million in January, designating $22 million to a fund supporting Trump’s planned presidential library in Miami. X followed in February, paying around $10 million.
Under the terms of the YouTube settlement, $22 million will be directed to the Trust for the National Mall. According to the filing, the nonprofit is tied to the construction of a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom Trump is building at the White House. The facility is expected to be completed well before the end of Trump’s current presidential term in January 2029. The remaining settlement funds will be distributed to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union—which sponsors the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)—and author Naomi Wolf.
YouTube emphasized that the settlement does not include any admission of wrongdoing nor any requirement to change its product policies. Trump’s account was not permanently removed in 2021 but was suspended from posting new content until its reinstatement in 2023.
The settlements with YouTube, Meta, and X mark the conclusion of Trump’s legal battles against the three largest social media companies. The lawsuits were seen as a broader test of the role big tech platforms play in regulating political speech and the balance between moderation policies and free expression.
