YouTube to pay $24.5m to settle Trump lawsuit over Capitol riot

September 29, 2025

YouTube has agreed to pay $24. 5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump after the platform suspended his account following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. This settlement from Alphabet follows similar agreements reached with X/Twitter and Meta/Facebook, which also paid Trump for suspending his accounts amid claims of political bias against conservative voices.

Who is affected

Donald Trump and other plaintiffs in the lawsuit
YouTube/Alphabet (Google)
The Trust for the National Mall (receiving $22 million)
The American Conservative Union and other organizations joining Trump's lawsuit (receiving $2.5 million)
Conservative content creators on social media platforms
Users of YouTube and other social media platforms

What action is being taken

YouTube is paying a $24.5 million settlement to resolve Trump's lawsuit
$22 million is being directed to the Trust for the National Mall
$2.5 million is being paid to other organizations and individuals involved in the lawsuit
YouTube is restoring several accounts previously banned for false claims about COVID and the 2020 election
Social media companies are loosening content moderation policies on their platforms

Why it matters

The settlement represents another major platform acknowledging and compensating Trump for account suspensions
It signals a shift in relations between technology companies and the Republican Party
The settlement contributes significant funding toward the Trust for the National Mall's $200 million goal for building a White House ballroom
It reflects changing content moderation approaches on major platforms that had previously taken stronger stances against misinformation
It demonstrates Silicon Valley's more conciliatory tone toward Trump, as evidenced by tech CEOs attending his inauguration

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC