YouTube agreed to pay a $24.5 million settlement to President Donald Trump and others who were suspended by the video streaming platform in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to a legal document filed Monday.
YouTube froze Trump’s account after the riot, blocking him from uploading new videos and arguing that the content could lead to more violence. Trump sued YouTube in October 2021, claiming that it and other social media firms that removed his accounts had wrongfully censored him.
The vast majority of YouTube’s settlement payment — $22 million — will go to Trump, according to the filing in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He has directed that the money be contributed to the Trust for the National Mall and to the construction of a ballroom at the White House.
The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed among other plaintiffs in the case, including writer Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union.
“If he hadn’t been reelected, we’d be in court forever,” said John Coale, a lawyer for Trump. “Then the president gets reelected and things look a lot better.”
A representative for YouTube declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported the agreement earlier.
YouTube’s settlement is the latest move by major technology and media firms to end expensive legal battles with Trump, who has accused social media platforms of censorship and claimed that media firms have defamed him.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in January settled a similar lawsuit brought by Trump, agreeing to pay $25 million. X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk and formerly known as Twitter, agreed in February to pay about $10 million to resolve a dispute about the 2021 suspension of Trump’s account.
Media companies have also made concessions to Trump. Paramount in July agreed to pay him $16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of a CBS “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. ABC News agreed to pay $15 million in December to settle a defamation case filed by Trump against the network and one of its anchors, George Stephanopoulos.
Trump and his administration have ramped up pressure campaigns against his perceived enemies in recent months, including law firms that championed Democratic causes, prominent universities and media critics such as Jimmy Kimmel. This month, Trump sued The New York Times, asking for $15 billion in damages. The lawsuit was dismissed, although Trump may refile.
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