YouTube is the latest social media company to settle lawsuits for suspensions of President Donald Trump's accounts in 2021 to the tune of millions of dollars.
Alphabet, the parent company for YouTube, agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle the lawsuit, according to a court filing Monday. The accounts had been shut down in the wake of the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The majority of the settlement — $22 million — will go to the Trust for the National Mall nonprofit to pay for the construction of the ballroom at the White House.
Meta had settled a similar lawsuit for Trump's account on Facebook, and X also settled a lawsuit with the president. Meta removed restrictions from his accounts on Facebook and Instagram in July 2024. Democrats at the time demanded the suspensions continue in order to quell Trump's claims that the previous election had been stolen.
