YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million to settle a lawsuit filed by former US President Donald Trump over the suspension of his account.
The suspension was imposed after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, when Trump supporters stormed Congress to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
According to a filing in a California federal court, the settlement directs the $22 million toward Trump’s White House State Ballroom construction project, managed through the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit focused on preserving and enhancing the National Mall.
In addition, YouTube will pay $2.5 million to Trump allies, including the American Conservative Union.
Trump argued that the suspension amounted to wrongful censorship, claiming YouTube applied “broad, vague and ever-shifting standards.” His account was blocked on January 12, 2021, with YouTube citing “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” Facebook and Twitter also suspended him around the same time.
Legal experts, however, pointed out that First Amendment protections apply to government restrictions on speech, not private companies, making Trump’s case difficult to win.
In defense, YouTube insisted:
“YouTube is not a state actor and its exercise of editorial discretion over its private service does not implicate Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights.”
The settlement has stirred debate on free speech and corporate accountability.
Media Matters president Angelo Carusone criticized YouTube’s decision, calling it “shameful and shortsighted,” warning it could embolden Trump’s efforts to pressure media and tech platforms into compliance.
