Meta agrees to pay Donald Trump $25 million as settlement over 2021 account suspension
Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to a settlement of $25 million with former President Donald Trump.
This settlement arises from a lawsuit that Trump filed in 2021 after Meta suspended his accounts following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The suspension was implemented due to concerns over the potential for further violence and misinformation related to Trump’s claims about election fraud.
Details of the settlement
The settlement amount is structured such that $22 million will be allocated to fund Trump’s presidential library, while the remaining $3 million will cover legal fees and compensation for other plaintiffs involved in the case.
It is important to note that Meta has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of this settlement agreement.
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Trump’s lawsuit against Meta was one among several he filed against various social media platforms, including Twitter (now X) and YouTube, alleging that these companies were unlawfully silencing conservative viewpoints.
The legal actions stemmed from his belief that his accounts were wrongfully censored after he used them to propagate false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election results.
What we know about Trump’s account suspension
Following the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob stormed the Capitol building, Meta took decisive action by suspending Trump’s accounts indefinitely.
This decision marked a significant shift in how social media platforms handle political figures, particularly during periods of civil unrest.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, stated at the time that allowing Trump to continue using their services posed too great a risk given the circumstances.
In June 2021, Meta announced it would impose a two-year suspension on Trump’s accounts instead of an indefinite ban. After this period concluded in early 2023, Trump was reinstated on both Facebook and Instagram as part of a broader trend where major platforms began allowing him back onto their services.
The discussions leading up to this settlement reportedly began when Zuckerberg visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in late 2024. This meeting was seen as an effort to mend relations between Trump and Meta after years of tension stemming from account suspensions and public criticisms made by Trump against Zuckerberg and his platform.
