YouTube to pay €21 million to settle lawsuit with Trump over account suspension in 2021

YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million (€20.9 million) to settle a lawsuit US President Donald Trump brought against the company in 2021, when it suspended Trump's account following the January 6 riots on the Capitol. Trump's account has been restored since 2023.

Trump had also sued X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook parent Meta Platforms. When the lawsuit was first filed over four years ago, legal experts predicted the suits were doomed to fail. However, Meta and X agreed to pay to settle the lawsuits earlier this year.

According to the court documents filed on Monday, $22 million (€18.8 million) will contribute to the Trust for the National Mall and a construction of a White House ballroom. The remaining $2.5 million (€2.1 million) will be paid to other plaintiffs involved in the case, including US author Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union.

Both CEO's of Alphabet, the parent of Google, and Meta, as well as other tech leaders, stood behind Trump during his second inauguration in January, which resulted many to speculate that the industry was willing to work more closely with the president compared to his first administration.

The online video platform did not admit wrongdoing, and the settlement does not constitue an admission of liability, the filing says. Google declined to comment on the reasons for the settlement.

The US president has filed hundreds of lawsuits during his second administration, including many against media companies.

Earlier this month, Trump filed a $15 billion (€13.8 billion) defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and four of its journalists, months after bringing legal action against the Wall Street Journal.

Trump said the outlet was a "virtual mouthpiece" for "the radical left Democrat(ic) Party" and accused it of "spreading false and defamatory content" about him, his family and business.

In July, Paramount decided to pay Trump $16 million (€13.7 million) to settle a lawsuit regarding editing at CBS’ storied “60 Minutes” news program, and in December 2024, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million (€12.8 million) to settle a defamation case against the US president.