YouTube settles Trump lawsuit with $24.5 million payout after account suspension
It joins Meta and X in quietly paying to settle with the U.S. president.
When Big Tech and politics collide, the outcome usually is not about who is right but about who can afford to walk away. YouTube just proved that point with a $24.5 million settlement that closes Donald Trump’s lawsuit over his 2021 suspension.
Trump’s clash with YouTube began in January 2021, when the platform suspended him after the Capitol riots, citing the risk of further violence. His account stayed offline until March 2023, when YouTube said voters needed equal access to major candidates ahead of the next election cycle.
By then, Trump had also sued Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Those cases are now settled, too, with Meta paying $25 million earlier this year and Elon Musk’s X paying $10 million. YouTube’s settlement puts the final piece in place, and insiders say Google was determined to keep its payout smaller than Meta’s—because apparently even settlements are a competition in Silicon Valley.
Emmanuel Umahi
Most of YouTube’s $24.5 million is not even going to Trump. About $22 million will go to the Trust for the National Mall to fund a new White House State Ballroom, while $2.5 million is set aside for other plaintiffs. Like the other tech companies, YouTube emphasized that the deal does not amount to an admission of guilt.
The timing is also what makes this stand out. Since Trump returned to the White House last year, all three platforms have quietly wrapped up their disputes. That has raised alarms in Washington. Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren, say these payouts risk looking like a quid pro quo that helps Big Tech dodge tougher scrutiny on competition, labor, and consumer protection.
So while Trump has officially cashed out of his Big Tech battles, the question left hanging over Silicon Valley is whether these settlements are about accountability or just the price of moving on.
Oyinebiladou Omemu
