YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million (R400 million) to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump following the video platform’s suspension of his account after the 6 January 2021, Capitol attack, according to court documents filed Monday.
The settlement makes YouTube, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, the latest Big Tech firm to resolve legal disputes with Trump stemming from his widespread removal from social media platforms in the aftermath of the Capitol breach.
The bulk of the payment – $22 million – will fund Trump’s White House State Ballroom construction project through the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit organization focused on restoring and preserving the National Mall, according to the settlement notice filed in California federal court. An additional $2.5 million will be distributed among Trump allies, including the American Conservative Union.
Trump celebrated the outcome late on Monday by reposting a message on his Truth Social platform declaring the settlement a “MASSIVE victory” that proves “Big Tech censorship has consequences.” The post added that the Republican “fought for free speech and WON!”
YouTube blocked Trump from uploading new content on 21 January 2021, citing “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” The action mirrored similar moves by Facebook and Twitter, which also suspended Trump’s posting privileges after the January 6 events.
The Capitol attack saw more than 140 police officers injured during hours of violent clashes with pro-Trump rioters who wielded flagpoles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, Tasers, and bear spray as they attempted to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
Trump, now 79, sued YouTube and other social media companies, arguing he was wrongfully censored. His lawyers contended he was removed under “non-existent or broad, vague and ever-shifting standards,” according to the original July 2021 complaint against YouTube and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
Legal experts have long viewed Trump’s claims against tech companies as weak, noting that the First Amendment prohibits government censorship but does not restrict private companies from moderating content on their platforms.
YouTube defended its actions in a December 2021 legal filing, stating it “is not a state actor and its exercise of editorial discretion over its private service does not implicate Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights.”
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Media watchdog organization Media Matters condemned the settlement. “YouTube’s capitulation is shameful and shortsighted,” said the group’s president, Angelo Carusone. “Needlessly folding now will only help encourage Trump’s efforts to stifle dissent by bringing media and online platforms to heel.”
Tech and media companies have increasingly agreed to settlements with Trump since his return to office, as they navigate regulatory and legal matters in Washington that could significantly impact their businesses.
YouTube and its parent company Google face particular scrutiny, including a Virginia trial where federal prosecutors are seeking to break up the company’s advertising technology business.
In February, Elon Musk’s X platform settled with Trump for approximately $10 million. In January, shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Meta agreed to pay $25 million to resolve his complaint, with $22 million designated for funding his future presidential library.
Media companies have followed suit. Paramount Global paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that Trump claimed was edited unfairly. That settlement came as Paramount pursued approval for its $8 billion acquisition by Skydance, which the Federal Communications Commission greenlit in July.
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