YouTube has agreed to pay a $24.5 million settlement to President Trump over the 2021 suspension of his account. This settlement follows a legal action Trump initiated against several big tech platforms—YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook—after they banned him in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riot.
In a statement from July 2021, Trump declared, “We’re demanding an end to the shadow-banning, a stop to the silencing and a stop to the blacklisting, banishing and canceling that you know so well.” His team sought to limit what they viewed as censorship by these platforms, emphasizing the urgency of safeguarding free speech, especially for a sitting U.S. president.
YouTube’s settlement reveals a pattern among big tech companies settling with Trump. Reports indicate that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, paid $25 million, while Twitter, now known as X, contributed $10 million. The Wall Street Journal confirmed that YouTube held negotiations with an eye on keeping its payout lower than Meta’s.
Notably, Trump will receive $22 million from the YouTube settlement, meant for the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall. This trust supports the development of a ballroom resembling Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate at the White House. The ballroom project is projected to cost around $200 million, funded by donations from “other patriot donors.” The remaining $2.5 million will go to other plaintiffs involved in the case, including the American Conservative Union and writer Naomi Wolf.
This legal victory is not Trump’s only recent success in the courts. He previously settled with CBS over a deceptively edited interview with Kamala Harris. That agreement reportedly involved a substantial sum of $16 million upfront. The president has criticized how his opponents have been portrayed in media, stating that CBS misrepresented Harris during the interview.
The payments from these tech companies come during a time when trust in major media outlets and platforms is increasingly questioned. By addressing such concerns, the settlements may serve to bolster Trump’s image among supporters who see him as a defender of free speech in the face of perceived censorship.
As the legal landscape surrounding social media platforms evolves, these developments signal a growing scrutiny of content moderation practices and the accountability of tech giants in their dealings with public figures.
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