YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump. The case was linked to the suspension of his account after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
According to a court filing on Monday, YouTube will contribute $22 million on Trump’s behalf to the Trust for the National Mall. The trust is handling a $200 million project to build a ballroom at the White House.
The remaining $2.5 million will go to other plaintiffs. These include the American Conservative Union and author Naomi Wolf.
The settlement made clear that YouTube did not admit wrongdoing. It stated that the deal was reached to avoid the costs and risks of a lengthy trial.
For YouTube, the payout is relatively small compared to its revenue. The platform earned nearly $9.8 billion in advertising income in the second quarter of 2025.
This settlement follows similar deals reached by Meta Platforms and X earlier this year. Trump had also sued them, accusing the companies of unfair censorship related to his claims of election fraud.
Trump’s lawyer John P. Coale welcomed the result. He said the president and the other plaintiffs were satisfied with the outcome.
The settlement also reflects Big Tech’s changing relationship with Trump. Since his return to the White House earlier this year, company leaders have softened their stance. Google’s Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Apple’s Tim Cook recently praised Trump’s administration at a White House dinner focused on artificial intelligence.
Other media companies have faced similar cases. Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million in July, while ABC News settled in December with a $15 million contribution to Trump’s presidential library.
Analysts warn that the YouTube deal could influence global approaches to online speech regulation. They argue that it shows how content rules can shift under political pressure.
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