Meta has agreed to pay former U.S. President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a lawsuit he filed in 2021, alleging wrongful censorship by Facebook and Instagram following the U.S. Capitol riot. The company confirmed the settlement on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the agreement, describing it as a victory for Trump in his long-standing battle with social media giants.
According to sources familiar with the terms, the Journal noted that $22 million of the settlement will be allocated to funding Trump’s future presidential library, while the remaining amount will cover legal fees and payments to other plaintiffs involved in the case.
Despite the settlement, Meta has not admitted any wrongdoing regarding its decision to suspend Trump’s accounts. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the agreement to AFP.
Trump has been an outspoken critic of social media platforms since they suspended his accounts in the wake of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His remarks at the time were perceived as supportive of those engaged in the violence.
However, in recent months, Trump has sought to rebuild relationships with influential figures in the tech industry. Both Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X owner Elon Musk attended Trump’s presidential inauguration last week in Washington.
Zuckerberg has since expressed support for Trump and has made policy adjustments within Meta to ease restrictions on certain content across its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Meta would be “restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said earlier this month. The Journal also reported that Zuckerberg dined with Trump at his Florida estate in November before announcing a rollback of the company’s fact-checking operations.
The settlement with Trump is the latest in a series of legal resolutions by media corporations in anticipation of a possible second Trump presidency.
In December, ABC News agreed to pay a $15 million settlement to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump over comments made about him by a top anchor.
Meanwhile, Meta reported strong financial performance on Wednesday, announcing a 59 percent surge in net income to $62.36 billion for the full year.
