YouTube Settles Lawsuit with President Trump for $24.5 Million Over Account Suspension
YouTube agreed to pay President Trump $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit regarding his account suspension after the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, with funds directed to the National Mall Trust.
Overview
YouTube agreed to pay President Trump $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit over his account suspension following the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, alleging censorship and First Amendment violations.
Trump's YouTube channel was suspended on January 12, 2021, for violating policies against inciting violence, prompting him to file class-action lawsuits against tech giants in July 2021.
Of the $24.5 million settlement, $22 million will be contributed to the Trust for the National Mall, earmarked for the construction of a White House ballroom.
The remaining $2.5 million from the settlement will go to other plaintiffs, including writer Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union, whose accounts were also removed.
YouTube reinstated President Trump's account in 2023, with the settlement explicitly stating no admission of liability or fault from the defendants.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story by portraying the YouTube settlement as an act of "influence-peddling" rather than legal merit. They emphasize expert opinions dismissing the lawsuits' credibility and link the payout to YouTube's subsequent reinstatement of controversial accounts, implying a quid pro quo and problematic political appeasement.
Sources (14)
Center (8)
FAQ
President Trump's YouTube account was suspended on January 12, 2021, because his content was found to violate YouTube's policies against inciting violence, following the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Of the $24.5 million settlement, $22 million was contributed to the Trust for the National Mall for the construction of a White House State Ballroom, and $2.5 million was allocated to other plaintiffs including Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union.
President Trump also settled lawsuits with Meta and X (formerly Twitter), with Meta paying $25 million and X paying $10 million in settlements related to his account removals.
No, the settlement explicitly stated that YouTube did not admit any fault or liability as part of the agreement with President Trump.
YouTube reinstated President Trump's account in 2023 following the settlement agreement.
History
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