YouTube to pay Trump $24.5 mn to settle lawsuit over 2021 account suspension

New Delhi: YouTube has agreed to pay President Donald Trump $24.5 million to settle a long-running lawsuit stemming from the platform's suspension of his account following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. 

The lawsuit, filed by Trump in July 2021, accused YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc., of violating his First Amendment rights by suspending his channel, which had amassed over 2.8 million subscribers. 

The platform banned Trump on January 12, 2021, citing concerns that his content could incite further violence after the Capitol events, where supporters stormed the building in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. 

Trump's account was reinstated on March 17, 2023, amid a broader relaxation of content moderation policies by several platforms, but the legal fight persisted.

Under the terms of the settlement, YouTube will pay the $24.5 million without admitting wrongdoing, according to court filings reviewed by multiple outlets. 

Trump celebrated the outcome on his Truth Social platform, calling it a "major victory against the radical left's censorship machine" and vowing to continue advocating for free speech online. "This is just the beginning, Big Tech must be held accountable," he posted shortly after the announcement.

The agreement positions Google as the final major tech company to settle with Trump over similar disputes. Previously, Meta (formerly Facebook) and X (formerly Twitter) resolved parallel lawsuits filed by Trump in 2021, with undisclosed settlements reported in 2023 and 2024, respectively. 

As of now, Trump's YouTube channel remains active, boasting over 3.5 million subscribers and serving as a key outlet for his policy announcements and commentary.