YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after the platform suspended his account in the wake of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, according to a court filing on Monday.The settlement will direct $22 million toward Trump’s White House construction project through the Trust for the National Mall, which supports the creation of a new State Ballroom. In addition, YouTube will pay $2.5 million to other Trump allies, including the American Conservative Union.The Google-owned platform suspended Trump on January 12, 2021, citing “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence,” joining Facebook and Twitter in blocking him after the Capitol riot. Trump sued YouTube and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, claiming he was wrongfully censored under “non-existent or broad, vague and ever-shifting standards.”His posting privileges were cut off after the Capitol attack left more than 140 police officers injured during clashes with pro-Trump rioters attempting to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.Legal experts have described Trump’s First Amendment claims as weak, noting that constitutional free speech protections apply to government restrictions, not private companies. YouTube argued in a 2021 filing that it “is not a state actor and its exercise of editorial discretion over its private service does not implicate Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights.” Watchdog group Media Matters criticised the deal, calling it “shameful and shortsighted.” Its president Angelo Carusone said, “YouTube’s capitulation is shameful and shortsighted. Needlessly folding now will only help encourage Trump’s efforts to stifle dissent by bringing media and online platforms to heel.”The settlement comes as major tech and media firms continue to resolve Trump’s lawsuits. Earlier this year, Elon Musk’s X paid $10 million to settle a case with Trump, while Meta agreed in January to pay $25 million, most of which will fund Trump’s presidential library. Paramount Global also reached a $16 million settlement over a dispute tied to an interview with then–vice president Kamala Harris.Meanwhile, Google and its parent company Alphabet are facing broader scrutiny, including a trial in Virginia where the government is seeking to break up the company’s ad technology business.
