YouTube will pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over the suspension of his account following the January 6 Capitol riots. The deal, disclosed in a California federal court filing, makes clear that the settlement “does not constitute an admission of liability or fault.”
Trump had sued YouTube, alongside Facebook and Twitter, back in 2021 after the platforms cut off his accounts, citing concerns of incitement. With Trump back in the White House since January, the big tech firms have been quietly closing ranks on their legal battles. Meta settled its case earlier this year for $25 million, while Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) agreed to pay around $10 million in February.
The settlements haven’t gone unnoticed in Washington. In August, Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren flagged concerns in a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. They warned that such payouts could amount to a “quid-pro-quo arrangement” to sidestep scrutiny of wider antitrust and labour issues — even hinting at possible conflicts with federal bribery laws.
For Trump, the settlements mark another win in his campaign to re-establish influence over online platforms that once shut him out. For Silicon Valley, it’s a pragmatic way to move on — but one that may invite more political heat.
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