In 2021, Meta banned Donald Trump from Facebook due to his involvement in the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. In response, Trump filed a federal lawsuit claiming First Amendment violations and other allegations. It seems he has recently achieved a significant victory in this legal battle. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Meta has agreed to pay Trump a $25 million settlement to resolve the lawsuit, which accused the company of “impermissible censorship.”
“Meta Platforms has agreed to pay roughly $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump brought against the company and its CEO after the social-media platform suspended his accounts following the attack on the U.S. Capitol,” the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Of that amount, $22 million will go toward a fund for Trump’s presidential library, with the remaining funds covering legal fees and compensating other plaintiffs associated with the case. Importantly, Meta will not admit any wrongdoing. Trump signed the settlement agreement in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
The discussions about the lawsuit intensified recently after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida for a dinner in November, aimed at repairing their relationship. The report indicates that Trump addressed the lawsuit during this meeting, indicating that it needed to be resolved before Zuckerberg could be “brought into the tent,” according to sources.
Additionally, Trump has also filed lawsuits against Twitter, now known as X, and YouTube, along with their respective leaders. The lawsuit against Twitter has since been dismissed by a federal judge, and the case against Google was administratively closed in 2023. This settlement with Meta appears to be a move towards improving the relationship between Trump and Zuckerberg.
