Alphabet-owned YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump over the suspension of his account following the January 2021 Capitol riots, according to a court filing on Monday.
The agreement marks the final settlement of lawsuits Trump filed in July 2021 against major tech firms, including Twitter (now X), Facebook parent company Meta, and Google, accusing them of silencing conservative voices. Earlier this year, Meta and X reached their own settlements, with Meta paying around $25 million and X paying $10 million.
Under the terms of the YouTube settlement, $22 million will go toward the Trust for the National Mall, which is supporting the construction of a $200 million ballroom that Trump is building at the White House. The remaining funds will be distributed among other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union and author Naomi Wolf.
YouTube did not admit wrongdoing and will not be required to alter its policies or products as part of the settlement. While Trump did not permanently lose his YouTube account, he was suspended from uploading new content in 2021. The account was restored in 2023.