
Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to President Donald Trump, settling a lawsuit tied to the company’s suspension of his social media accounts. The settlement, made public on Wednesday in California, follows years of legal battles over what Trump has called politically motivated censorship.
Trump filed the lawsuit after Meta removed him from Facebook and Instagram following the events of Jan. 6, 2021. The company claimed his posts violated platform rules and posed a risk to public safety. Initially, the ban was indefinite, but Meta later revised it to a two-year suspension. Trump’s legal team argued that the decision unfairly silenced conservatives.
Fork It Over, Zuck: Meta Agrees to Pay Donald Trump $25 Million for Suspending His Account https://t.co/U98xZpX5z3
— It’s Chinatown, Jake (@DetectiveJake1) January 30, 2025
The terms of the settlement include $22 million allocated for a fund related to Trump’s presidential library, while the remaining $3 million will go toward legal fees and other plaintiffs involved in the case. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the details of the agreement.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had private discussions with Trump in November 2024 at Mar-a-Lago following Trump’s reelection. Sources say the two spoke about the lawsuit and ways to improve relations between the company and the incoming administration. Zuckerberg later attended Trump’s inauguration and co-hosted an exclusive black-tie reception.
Meta has been taking steps to align itself more closely with the Trump White House. In addition to the settlement, the company contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee and scaled back its fact-checking operations on social media.
Trump’s legal team has secured other settlements in recent months. ABC News previously agreed to pay $15 million toward his presidential library to settle a separate defamation case.