In a significant development, YouTube has agreed to a substantial $24.5 million settlement with former President Donald Trump and other individuals who were previously banned from the prominent video streaming platform. This agreement comes in the wake of the tumultuous events surrounding the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, as detailed in a recent legal document filed on Monday.
The lion’s share of this settlement — a hefty $22 million — is allocated directly to Mr. Trump. According to court filings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, he has designated these funds to be split between the Trust for the National Mall and supporting the construction of a new ballroom at the White House.
The remaining $2.5 million from the settlement will be distributed among other plaintiffs involved in the case. This group includes notable figures such as author Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union.
The lawsuit itself stemmed from Mr. Trump’s actions in 2021 when he initiated legal proceedings against Alphabet, the parent company of both YouTube and Google, alongside various other social media corporations. His legal challenge followed the platforms’ decisions to suspend his accounts in the aftermath of the Capitol events.
As of now, neither a lawyer representing Mr. Trump nor spokespersons for YouTube have provided immediate comments regarding the settlement.
This settlement follows a pattern of similar resolutions with other major tech entities. Earlier this year, Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, reached a $25 million agreement to settle a comparable lawsuit filed by Mr. Trump. Furthermore, X, the social media platform now owned by Elon Musk (formerly Twitter), concluded its dispute concerning Mr. Trump’s 2021 account suspension with an approximate $10 million payment in February.
It’s worth noting that X restored Mr. Trump’s account shortly after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company in 2022. YouTube subsequently followed suit, reinstating his channel in 2023.
This remains a developing story, and further updates are anticipated.