Trump, Meta Settle Lawsuit Over Social Media Ban for $25 Million

Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an agreement requiring Meta Platforms to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit he brought after his social media accounts were suspended in 2021.

The settlement resolves a 4-year-long court battle over free speech and social media censorship, with Meta suspending Trump following his remarks on the January 6 Capitol riot.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, settlement negotiations reportedly became more serious after Mark Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November following Trump’s election victory.

Of the settlement, $22 million will go toward the president’s library, with the remainder designated for legal fees and other plaintiffs.

This settlement follows efforts by tech companies previously hostile to Trump to get into his good graces, with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook, in addition to Zuckerberg, each donating $1 million respectively, to the inauguration.

Alongside Meta, Trump sued other major platforms, including Twitter and YouTube, over his suspensions, arguing that the companies had wrongfully violated his right to share political speech.

A federal judge ultimately dismissed the Twitter action in 2022, concluding that the First Amendment applies to government entities rather than private corporations, although Trump’s legal team lodged an appeal that has yet to be resolved. The YouTube suit was put on an administrative pause in 2023, with the possibility of being reopened at a later date.

One of Trump’s lawyers acknowledged that they saw an opening for possible settlements, noting that corporate defendants appeared willing to mend fences with the new administration.

Although Trump’s Facebook and Instagram access was eventually restored, his attorneys argued that an atmosphere of uncertainty continued for him online.

Zuckerberg, for his part, had previously explained that Meta saw security concerns in allowing continued engagement by high-profile figures who contested election results.

Reflecting on the 2021 suspensions, he said the potential risks posed amid that tumultuous period were “simply too great.”

While the lawsuit with Meta has now been settled, the broader debate over what boundaries, if any, private businesses can set for political speech shows few signs of fading.