YouTube Settles with Trump for $24.5 Million
President Donald Trump has secured a $24.5 million settlement from YouTube after his account was suspended in the aftermath of the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
YouTube, part of Alphabet, is the last of three major social media companies that Trump took legal action against, following similar disputes with Meta and Twitter, now known as X. This settlement resolves all claims connected to his account’s removal.
A court filing reveals that $22 million of the settlement will be donated by Trump to the National Mall Trust, while YouTube will also pay $2.5 million to other claimants, including the American Conservative Party and author Naomi Wolf, among others.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, this concludes a series of well-publicized legal battles initiated by Trump against major tech platforms after being banned from several services. Earlier, Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement, while X reportedly settled for $10 million.
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel on January 12, 2021, due to policy violations concerning violent content.
Following the ban, Trump’s channel was restored in March 2023. His lawsuit claimed that the suspension infringed upon his constitutional rights.
Negotiations leading to the settlement reportedly included a mediation session held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in May, attended by Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin.
John P. Kore, Trump’s lead attorney, noted the significance of Trump’s return, suggesting that without it, the legal battles could have dragged on indefinitely. A spokesperson from Google confirmed the settlement, underscoring it as an official response.
