YouTube Pays $24.5M to Settle Trump Lawsuit Over Jan 6 Ban
The United States President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against YouTube, which is owned by Google, about the platform’s decision to ban his account in 2021 in response to the attack on the Capitol on January 6. The two parties have struck a settlement of $24.5 million in the complaint. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, President Trump has given YouTube instructions to set aside twenty-two million dollars from the settlement for the construction of a new ballroom in the White House. Additional plaintiffs who have claimed that YouTube engaged in censorship against them will receive the full $2.5 million in compensation.
The author Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union, in addition to other parties involved in the lawsuit, are among the benefactors, as per reports. According to a source, YouTube did not provide any specifics regarding the rules that Trump had broken at the time of his suspension. Instead, the company stated that the decision was made “in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” The year 2023 marked Trump’s comeback to the platform, which occurred after his account was reinstated with the site. Earlier this year, Trump reached similar settlements with Meta and X, both of which had blocked his accounts in response to the attacks that occurred on January 6. The agreement follows on the heels of those settlements. X has reached a settlement for ten million dollars, while Meta has agreed to a payment of twenty-five million dollars.
In addition to social media, Trump has also been successful in securing settlements from major entertainment and communications giants. In order to address a lawsuit that claimed libelous coverage, Disney, the owner of ABC News, agreed to a settlement in December that included a payment of $15 million and was also responsible for paying $1 million in legal fees. A “presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for plaintiff” is the intended recipient of the money that are allotted for the settlement deal. In July, Paramount, reached an agreement to pay $16 million to settle a complaint with regard to an interview that was conducted during the 2024 campaign with Kamala Harris, who was serving as Vice President at the time.
Trump asserted that the interview had been altered in a way that was misleading and damaging to his chances of winning the election. In addition, Trump has filed lawsuits against other media, in response to the coverage they have provided. However, a court quickly dismissed his case against the Times. Because the president believes that certain American institutions, such as universities and law firms, have behaved in a manner that does not meet his approval, he has broadened the scope of his legal endeavors to include new American institutions.
