Zuckerberg, YouTube admitted to previously facing pressure to censor accounts
Major tech company discusses pressure to censor accounts
President Donald Trump has won a $24.5 million settlement from YouTube over the platform’s suspension of his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
The Alphabet-owned company is the last of the three major social media platforms sued by Trump, alongside Meta and Twitter, now called X, to resolve claims tied to his removal.
According to a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital, $22 million of the settlement will be contributed on Trump’s behalf to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit supporting construction of a new White House State Ballroom.
Per the filing, Alphabet will also pay $2.5 million to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union, author Naomi Wolf, and several individuals.
President Donald Trump has won a $24.5 million settlement from YouTube over the platform’s suspension of his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The deal closes out a series of high-profile legal battles Trump launched against Big Tech after being banned from multiple platforms.
Meta reached a $25 million settlement earlier in 2025, while X reportedly paid $10 million, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel on Jan. 12, 2021, saying his content violated policies against inciting violence.
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Google CEO Sundar Pichai was included in mediation sessions at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in May, as well as co-founder Sergey Brin. ( Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The channel was reinstated in March 2023. Trump’s lawsuit argued the ban was unconstitutional and violated his First Amendment rights.
Negotiations reportedly included mediation sessions at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in May, where he invited Google CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin.
In this photo illustration, a YouTube logo seen displayed on a smartphone. Trade groups representing social media companies in court celebrated a win in Florida this week. (Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images)
Discussions allegedly continued over golf and lunch at Trump’s nearby club.
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John P. Coale, Trump’s lead attorney, emphasized the role of Trump’s return to the White House in accelerating the settlements. "If he had not been re-elected, we would have been in court for 1,000 years," Coale said, per The Wall Street Journal.
A Google spokesperson confirmed the settlement to Fox News Digital and pointed to the filing as their official response.
