Trump Racks Up Another Big Tech Win

YouTube is the latest social media company to settle a lawsuit with President Donald Trump. (Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images)

Key Points

• YouTube settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump, agreeing to pay $22 million to the Trust for the National Mall and for Trump’s new White House ballroom.
• YouTube will also pay $2.5 million to seven co-plaintiffs who alleged First Amendment violations.
• This settlement follows a similar case in January where Meta Platforms paid $25 million to settle with Trump.

On Monday afternoon, Alphabet’s YouTube settled a long-running lawsuit with President Donald Trump, who was suspended from the video platform after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol building by the president’s supporters.

While YouTube restored Trump’s account in 2023, the lawsuit continued until now.

According to a court document, YouTube will pay $22 million. The funds will go to the Trust for the National Mall, a non-profit group, and will also be used to fund Trump’s new gilded White House ballroom. In addition, YouTube will pay $2.5 million to seven co-plaintiffs who had also accused it of violating their First Amendment protection from government interference in speech.

It’s the latest settlement between Trump and the giants of the social media world. In January, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms settled for $25 million in a similar case, and in the constant competition that is Silicon Valley, Alphabet got off for $500,000 less.

Alphabet pointed to the settlement when asked for comment. YouTube did not make any admission of guilt as part of the settlement.

Write to Adam Levine at adam.levine@barrons.com