2LT International News

SAN FRANCISCO, California – YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump, who alleged the platform wrongfully suspended his account following the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots, according to a court filing Monday.

The settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, brings a close to one of the most high-profile legal battles between a world leader and a major tech company. The filing stipulates that the payment “shall not constitute an admission of liability or fault” by YouTube or its parent company, Google.

President Trump’s account was suspended in the wake of the Capitol breach, with YouTube citing concerns his posts could incite further violence. The suspension was part of a widespread crackdown by social media platforms that also saw Trump removed from Facebook and Twitter.

In mid-2021, Trump sued all three companies, alleging censorship and violation of his First Amendment rights. The settlements began to unfold after Trump won a second term and returned to the White House in January.

This latest agreement with YouTube follows a similar pattern. In January, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, agreed to a $25 million settlement with the President. The following month, X, the platform formerly known as Twitter now owned by Elon Musk, settled its related case for approximately $10 million. The total value of the settlements across the three platforms now exceeds $59 million.

The trend of settlements has drawn scrutiny from congressional Democrats. In August, a group of senators, including Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan expressing “serious concern” over the potential for a settlement.

The senators warned that such a financial agreement could be perceived as a “quid-pro-quo arrangement to avoid full accountability,” and raised the possibility that it could run afoul of federal bribery laws.

A representative for YouTube declined to comment beyond the court documents. A spokesperson for President Trump referred to the settlement as a “total vindication” and stated that the President was “pleased to put this baseless chapter behind him.”

The resolution of these lawsuits marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over the power of social media companies to moderate content on their platforms and the legal recourse available to public figures who are suspended.