YouTube to pay $24.5 million to settle lawsuit brought by Trump

YouTube, owned by Alphabet’s Google, settled a 2021 lawsuit with Trump for $24.5 million over his post-Jan. 6 account suspension. Trump’s $22 million share funds a Mar-a-Lago-style White House ballroom via the Trust for the National Mall, backed by “patriot donors.” The remaining $2.5 million goes to plaintiffs like the American Conservative Union and Naomi Wolf.

Google kept the payout below Meta’s $25 million, per insiders. Trump’s lawyer Coale stated, “If he had not been re-elected, we would have been in court for 1,000 years.” Since his election win, Trump has secured over $80 million from Big Tech and media settlements, including $10 million from X and $16 million from Paramount Global.

YouTube cited policy violations for incitement when suspending Trump’s channel, reinstated in March 2023. Legal expert Graber noted, “The present Supreme Court doctrine is very clear that private companies need not give anyone a right of access.”