YouTube has agreed to pay Donald Trump $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit over his account suspension after the January 6 Capitol riots.
The Alphabet-owned platform blocked Trump’s channel back in 2021, citing the risk of violence. His account was later reinstated in 2023, but not before Trump sued YouTube, claiming the move violated his rights and silenced conservative voices.
Now, according to court filings, YouTube will pay the hefty settlement, though the company made it clear that it isn’t admitting any wrongdoing and won’t be changing its policies. Out of the $24.5 million, about $22 million is going to a fund connected to Trump’s projects, while the rest will be distributed among other plaintiffs who joined the lawsuit.
This case was one of several Trump filed against social media platforms after being booted off in the wake of January 6. Earlier this year, Meta agreed to pay $25 million, and X (formerly Twitter) settled for about $10 million.
Even with the payouts, YouTube and other platforms continue to stand by their policies, saying their suspensions were about safety, not politics.
