Google’s YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million in the United States to resolve a lawsuit initiated by President Donald Trump after his account was suspended in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The settlement, which had been ongoing for over four years, allocates $22 million for Trump to contribute to the Trust for the National Mall and the construction of a White House ballroom, as per court documents filed on Monday. The remaining funds will be distributed among other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union.
Google joins the ranks of major tech companies settling lawsuits brought by Trump. In January, Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit related to his 2021 suspension from Facebook. Similarly, Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, agreed to a $10 million settlement in a comparable lawsuit.
Legal experts had previously predicted a slim chance of success for Trump in the lawsuits against Meta, Twitter, and YouTube. The settlement with YouTube does not imply any admission of liability, as stated in the filing. While Google confirmed the settlement, they chose not to provide further comments on the matter.
Trump’s YouTube account was reinstated in 2023. The settlement amount will have a minimal impact on Google’s parent company, Alphabet, which currently holds a market value close to $3 trillion, marking an increase of approximately $600 billion or 25% since Trump’s return to the White House.
The revelation of the settlement occurred a week before a scheduled court hearing on October 6 to address the case with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers in Oakland, California.
