YouTube to pay $24.5M to settle Trump account suspension suit: Report

The American company, YouTube, agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump for the platform’s suspension of his account following the January 2021 Capitol riots, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday.

The case, brought in 2021 against Alphabet-owned YouTube and its then-chief executive, marks the final settlement in a series of lawsuits Trump launched against major social media platforms after he left office.

Earlier this year, Meta settled for $25 million, mostly earmarked for Trump’s presidential library, while the American social media company, X, paid $10 million, with much of that going directly to Trump, according to the WSJ.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said Google pushed to keep its payout below the one paid by rival Meta.

According to court documents, Trump’s $22 million share of the YouTube settlement will go to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, designated for a Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom he is constructing on White House grounds. The White House said the $200 million project will be funded by Trump and “other patriot donors.”

The remaining portion of the settlement will be distributed to other plaintiffs in the case, including the American Conservative Union, according to the report.