Meta Platforms announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to pay approximately $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump regarding the suspension of his accounts following the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
In July 2021, Trump filed lawsuits against Twitter (now X), Facebook (Meta), and Google, as well as their CEOs, accusing them of unfairly silencing conservative voices. Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts were suspended after his supporters stormed the Capitol, following his false claims about widespread election fraud.
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Out of the settlement, $22 million will be directed towards funding Trump’s presidential library, with the remaining amount allocated for legal fees and other plaintiffs involved in the case. Meta submitted the settlement notice to a federal court in San Francisco.
The settlement discussions, which had stalled since the fall of 2023, were reignited after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for a dinner in November, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Meta has been working to improve its relationship with Trump, who has criticized the platform’s political content policies and previously threatened Zuckerberg with imprisonment.
In a shift from its previous stance, Meta made a $1 million contribution to Trump’s inaugural fund in December. Additionally, the company discontinued its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in January, canceled its U.S. fact-checking initiative, and relaxed its restrictions on debates over sensitive topics like immigration and gender identity.
Meta also appointed Republican Joel Kaplan as its chief global affairs officer and added Dana White, UFC CEO and a close Trump ally, to its board.
