In a landmark settlement, Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, will pay President Donald Trump $22 million to settle a 2021 class-action lawsuit over YouTube’s suspension of accounts, including his own, after the January 6 Capitol riot.
An additional $2.5 million will compensate other affected content creators, as detailed by the Wall Street Journal. The lawsuit argued that YouTube’s bans infringed on free speech rights.
This agreement follows similar resolutions with tech giants. Meta , parent of Facebook, settled with Trump for $25 million, while X, rebranded from Twitter, paid $10 million.
The funds from Alphabet’s settlement will support a White House ballroom project via the Trust for the National Mall, a National Park Service partner, aligning with Meta’s payout allocation.
Amid this, Alphabet has criticized government pressure on content moderation in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, while YouTube announced reinstatement options for accounts banned over COVID-19 or election misinformation.
Separately, Paramount Global settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over a manipulated Kamala Harris interview, followed by FCC approval of its $8 billion Skydance acquisition, underscoring the nexus of politics, media, and regulation.
