Trump vs YouTube: $24.5M Settlement Closes Big Tech Cases

YouTube will pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after his suspension from the platform following the January 6 Capitol events.

The deal makes YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, the last of the major social media companies sued by Trump, alongside Meta and X, to reach a settlement.

According to court filings, $22 million of the payout will go to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall to support projects linked to the White House, while another $2.5 million will be directed to groups including the American Conservative Union.

Earlier this year, Meta settled a similar case for $25 million, while X resolved its case with a payout of around $10 million. At the time of Trump’s suspension, the platforms argued that his posts risked escalating tensions, but the settlements reflect a shift in Silicon Valley’s approach since his return to the White House.

Trump’s accounts have now been reinstated across major platforms, and companies have scaled back moderation policies that Republican leaders had criticized as censorship.