YouTube to Pay $24.5 Million in Settlement With Trump Over Account Suspension
Washington, D.C. – September 30, 2025
YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a long-running lawsuit filed by former U.S. President Donald Trump over the suspension of his account following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
The settlement, announced on Sunday, brings to a close one of several legal battles Trump launched in 2021 against major technology companies, including Meta and Twitter (now X), alleging censorship and violations of his free speech.
According to court filings, $22 million from the settlement will be allocated to the Trust for the National Mall, supporting a Trump-backed White House ballroom project. The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed among other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union and author Naomi Wolf.
The agreement specifies that YouTube admits no wrongdoing or liability, with both parties opting to resolve the matter in order to “compromise disputed claims and avoid the expense and risks of further litigation”
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel in January 2021, citing violations of its policy on incitement of violence in the aftermath of the Capitol riot. Then-CEO Susan Wojcicki said at the time that Trump’s channel would remain restricted until “the risk of real-world violence decreases”.
The account, however, was never permanently removed and was reinstated in March 2023, long before the settlement was finalized.
Trump, through his legal team, argued that YouTube’s actions amounted to unconstitutional censorship and infringed on his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and was part of a broader push by Trump to challenge what he described as the unchecked power of “Big Tech.”
In addition to YouTube, Trump sued Meta and Twitter in 2021. Both companies reached earlier settlements, Meta for $25 million and Twitter for $10 million, though none of the agreements required the platforms to alter their content moderation policies.
While the financial settlement is significant, legal analysts note that the case does not alter YouTube’s current policies on content moderation or political speech. Instead, it underscores the high-profile clash between former President Trump and Silicon Valley companies that sought to limit his reach after the Capitol riot.
