YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit President Trump brought in 2021 over the company’s suspension of his account in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a court filing Monday.
Under the terms of the agreement, $22 million would go to Trump, who has directed the funds be contributed to the Trust for the National Mall “to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom.”
Trump has touted the work on the new ballroom — construction for which is expected to be completed by the end of his term — and has said he would help cover the cost, along with donations from “other patriot donors.” The White House has estimated construction will cost $200 million.
Another $2.5 million from the settlement would go to other plaintiffs in the case, according to the court filing.
In reaching a settlement, YouTube becomes the third and final major tech company to settle a trio of lawsuits Trump filed after he left office in 2021.
In January, Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement, roughly $22 million of which would go toward a fund for Trump’s presidential library, while the rest would go to legal fees and other plaintiffs. The following month, Trump reached a settlement with X, formerly Twitter, for $10 million, which reportedly was slated to go to Trump directly.
Source: The Hill - News
