YouTube’s parent company, Google, has agreed to pay a whopping $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump over the suspension of his channel following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. According to court filings in California, $22 million of the settlement will be directed to the Trust for the National Mall to fund the construction of a White House State Ballroom, with the remainder going to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union. The National Mall Trust works to preserve and restore Washington, D.C.’s iconic landmark.
For those who are unaware, the case stems from Trump’s claim that YouTube silenced him under what his lawyers described as “vague and shifting standards.” His channel was suspended following the Capitol attack, which left more than 140 police officers injured in violent clashes with rioters.
Initially, YouTube suspended Donald Trump’s account in January 2021 after receiving an automatic “one-strike” for uploading content that violated their policies. The platform also disabled the channel’s comments section.
However, Google and YouTube did not specify which videos were in violation or incited violations. At the time of the ban, Trump’s channel had over 2.77 million subscribers, with regular videos uploaded by Trump.
Google confirmed the settlement, but stated that it does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing. The agreement was reached just days before a hearing was scheduled before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers in Oakland, California.
This latest agreement adds YouTube to the growing list of technology companies that have reached settlements with Trump in recent months. Earlier this year, Meta Platforms agreed to a $25 million payout for Trump’s 2021 Facebook ban, while Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) settled a similar case for $10 million.