The US president, banned in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol siege, ended up pocketing a small amount of money from each of the major social media platforms.
YouTube has joined the tech companies rushing to settle lawsuits filed by former President Donald Trump. The Alphabet-owned platform agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle the lawsuit filed after YouTube suspended Trump’s account following the January 6, 2021, riots at the US Capitol. Trump has accused several tech companies, including YouTube, of political bias and censorship of conservative voices. Both Twitter and Meta have already settled lawsuits related to the suspension of Trump’s accounts. In January, Meta reached a $25 million settlement, of which $22 million will go to Trump’s presidential library. In February, Twitter reached a $10 million settlement.
At the time of the Capitol riots, these companies claimed that Trump’s posts were inciting tensions and encouraging further violence. All of Trump’s accounts have been restored on these platforms. Trump celebrated the victory on social media by posting an AI-generated image on Twitter showing YouTube CEO Neal Mohan with a sad face handing a giant $24.5 million check to a smiling Trump giving a thumbs-up. The check reads, “Agreement for wrongful suspension.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2025
The same image appears on Trump’s Truth Social platform accompanied by a triumphant caption featuring the president’s characteristic capitalization: “YouTube SURRENDERS! Pays President Trump $24.5 million for illegal ban! This massive victory proves that Big Tech censorship has consequences. Every shadowbanned patriot deserves justice! Trump fought for free speech and won! Repost if you think all banned conservatives should be paid!”
The Trump administration has put pressure on YouTube, which has not exactly covered itself in glory. YouTube and other social media companies have agreed to take steps to improve content moderation on their platforms. Last week, YouTube announced that it would reinstate accounts banned for sharing misinformation about the 2020 presidential election and the Coronavirus pandemic, among other topics. In a statement sent to the Republican-controlled congressional committee, YouTube said it values conservative voices on its platform and recognizes that these content creators have a wide reach and play an important role in civic discourse.
However, under the agreement, YouTube does not admit any wrongdoing and will not make any policy changes. Of the $24.5 million settlement, $22 million will go to the Trust for the National Mall. The Trust aims to raise $200 million to build a new White House ballroom. The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed to the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including the American Conservative Union.
Source: PCGamer
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