US President Donald Trump has reached a $24.5 million settlement with YouTube over the platform’s suspension of his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Alphabet-owned YouTube is the last of three major social media platforms sued by Trump to resolve claims related to his removal. Meta settled earlier this year for $25 million, while X, formerly known as Twitter, paid $10 million.
According to CNBC, a court filing, $22 million of YouTube’s settlement will be contributed on Trump’s behalf to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit supporting construction of a new White House State Ballroom. Another $2.5 million will go to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union, author Naomi Wolf, and several individuals.
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel on Jan. 12, 2021, citing violations of its policies against inciting violence. The account was reinstated in March 2023. Trump’s lawsuit argued the ban was unconstitutional and infringed on his First Amendment rights.
The settlement marks the end of a series of high-profile legal battles between Trump and major tech companies over his deplatforming in the wake of the Capitol riots.