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YouTube Pays $24.5m to Settle Trump Lawsuit Over Post-Capitol Riot Suspension
YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump, after the video-streaming platform suspended his account in the aftermath of the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.
The settlement, reached with YouTube’s parent company Alphabet, comes months after Meta (Facebook’s parent) and X (formerly Twitter) also paid Trump to resolve similar legal battles. Trump had accused the platforms of political bias, alleging they unfairly censored conservative voices.
At the time of his suspension, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter argued that Trump’s posts risked inciting further violence as Washington reeled from the storming of the Capitol.
Under the terms of the deal, $22 million will be directed to the Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit raising funds to build a new White House ballroom. Another $2.5 million will go to co-plaintiffs in Trump’s case, including the American Conservative Union.
This follows similar arrangements with other platforms, In January, Meta agreed to pay $25 million, with $22m earmarked for Trump’s planned presidential library.
In February, X settled for $10 million, weeks after its purchase by Trump ally Elon Musk.
All of Trump’s accounts have since been reinstated across major platforms, marking a notable shift from the mass de-platforming that followed the Capitol attack. The settlements highlight a broader trend of Silicon Valley softening its stance toward Trump and the Republican Party.
Indeed, at Trump’s inauguration, the CEOs of Alphabet, Meta, and X were seated prominently, underscoring the changing tone of relations between Big Tech and the political establishment.
The tech sector has also begun loosening content moderation rules, addressing long-standing Republican criticism of alleged free speech violations.
Just last week, YouTube announced plans to restore several previously banned accounts, including creators who had repeatedly shared false claims about Covid-19 and the 2020 presidential election.
In a letter to a Republican-led congressional committee, YouTube wrote, “YouTube values conservative voices on its platform and recognises that these creators have extensive reach and play an important role in civic discourse.”