YouTube Agrees to $22 Million Settlement with Trump

Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube, has agreed to pay a total of $24.5 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump. The lawsuit claimed that YouTube’s suspension of Trump’s account after the January 6 Capitol attack was a form of “censorship.” Court filings made public Monday outline the details of the settlement.

Of the total amount, $22 million will go to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve and restore the National Mall and support the construction of the White House State Ballroom.

The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed to other plaintiffs involved in the case, including the American Conservative Union and several individual claimants, according to the filing.

A spokesperson for Google declined to comment on the settlement. YouTube, Google, and Alphabet did not admit any wrongdoing and are not required to make any changes to their policies or services.

The settlement comes after Trump received millions in similar lawsuits from other companies. Meta paid $25 million in January over account suspensions on Facebook and Instagram. Twitter, renamed X by Elon Musk, settled a lawsuit with Trump for $10 million in February 2025.

Paramount Global and Disney also paid Trump in separate legal cases, totaling tens of millions more.

Trump had originally sued YouTube, Meta, and Twitter in July 2021, claiming that suspending his accounts violated his First Amendment rights. YouTube suspended Trump’s channel on January 12, 2021, for violating its rules against inciting violence.

The platform lifted the suspension in March 2023, explaining that they considered the risks of violence alongside the public’s need to hear from major national candidates. Meta and X reinstated Trump’s accounts around the same time, with Meta adding “new guardrails” to prevent repeat violations.

While Trump argued the suspensions were unconstitutional, the First Amendment applies to government actions, not private companies like YouTube, Meta, or X.

These settlements highlight the high stakes of legal battles between social media companies and public figures. Even without admitting wrongdoing, large payouts show how contentious content moderation can be. Do you think this will influence how social media platforms handle controversial accounts in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments.