YouTube has agreed to a $22 million settlement in the lawsuit brought by former President Donald Trump after the platform suspended his account following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, according to a court filing on Monday.
Under the agreement, the $22 million will be funneled into Trump’s White House construction effort via the Trust for the National Mall, supporting the creation of a new State Ballroom. In addition, YouTube will pay $2.5 million to other Trump-aligned entities, including the American Conservative Union.
YouTube, part of Google (Alphabet), had suspended Trump’s account on January 12, 2021, citing concerns about “ongoing potential for violence,” joining Twitter and Facebook in blocking his access after the Capitol assault. Trump had sued YouTube and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, alleging wrongful censorship under “non-existent or broad, vague and ever-shifting standards.”
At the time of the suspension, more than 140 police officers were injured in clashes with pro-Trump rioters who attempted to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Legal analysts have questioned the strength of Trump’s First Amendment arguments, pointing out that constitutional free speech safeguards typically constrain government censorship — not moderation decisions by private platforms. YouTube had countered in its court filings that it “is not a state actor” and that its editorial judgments over content on its private platform do not implicate First Amendment rights.
Media watchdogs have voiced objections to the settlement. Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, called the deal “shameful and shortsighted,” warning that it could encourage further efforts by Trump to pressure media and tech platforms into compliance.
This settlement is part of a broader series of resolutions between Trump and big tech/media companies. Earlier this year:
- Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) agreed to a $10 million settlement with Trump,
- Meta settled for $25 million, the bulk of which is to go toward Trump’s presidential library,
- Paramount Global reached a $16 million deal in connection with a dispute over a past interview involving then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Meanwhile, Google and parent company Alphabet remain under wide scrutiny: the U.S. government is pursuing a lawsuit in Virginia aiming to dismantle parts of the company’s advertisement technology operations.
