❓WHAT HAPPENED: YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald J. Trump over the suspension of his account.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The lawsuit involved President Trump, YouTube, and its parent company, Alphabet (Google).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The settlement was announced on September 29, 2025, following a lawsuit stemming from events in 2021.
🎯IMPACT: The settlement marks YouTube as the latest Big Tech company to settle with Trump over anti-censorship lawsuits.
YouTube has reached a $24.5 million settlement with President Donald J. Trump over a lawsuit concerning the suspension of his account after the January 6 protests in 2021. This settlement concludes the series of anti-censorship lawsuits Trump filed against major social media platforms.
Previously, Meta Platforms agreed to a $25 million settlement, with much of the funds allocated to Trump’s presidential library. Meanwhile, X (formerly Twitter)—another platform involved—settled for $10 million, directing a significant portion to Trump himself.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Alphabet (Google), YouTube’s parent company, was determined to keep its settlement amount lower than Meta’s. Of the $24.5 million settlement, $22 million is designated for the Trust for the National Mall to support the construction of a ballroom at the White House.
An additional $2.5 million is allocated to the other plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit, which includes the American Conservative Union and writer Naomi Wolf. Details regarding attorney fees were not specified in the settlement documents.
Both ABC and CBS have also settled lawsuits brought by Trump. ABC agreed to a $15 million settlement stemming from comments made by Clinton-operative-turned-journalist George Stephanopoulos, who repeatedly claimed during a March 10, 2024, broadcast that Trump was “found liable for rape” in a lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll. However, a Manhattan jury found Trump was not liable for rape.
Meanwhile, CBS agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a doctored 60 Minutes interview with 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
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