Key Takeaways
- Big Tech Concedes: YouTube settled Trump’s lawsuit for $24.5 million, following earlier payouts from Meta ($25M) and X ($10M), marking a string of victories in his free speech fight.
- America First Legacy: $22 million of the settlement will fund the Trust for the National Mall to support a new White House State Ballroom, linking the deal to Trump’s vision of restoring American tradition.
- Trump’s Leverage: Negotiations unfolded at Mar-a-Lago with Google’s top brass, and his return to the White House was credited by his attorney as the decisive factor: “If he had not been re-elected, we would have been in court for 1,000 years.”
President Donald Trump has scored another victory in his long-running battle with Big Tech. YouTube, the last of the tech giants to face him in court, has agreed to a $24.5 million settlement over its suspension of his account following the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
According to court filings, $22 million of the settlement will go to the Trust for the National Mall to help fund construction of a new White House State Ballroom — a project Trump has championed as part of restoring American tradition and pride. Another $2.5 million will be paid to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union, author Naomi Wolf, and several individuals.
Negotiations reportedly weren’t your typical boardroom grind. Mediation sessions took place at Mar-a-Lago in May, where Trump welcomed Google CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin. The talks continued over golf and lunch at Trump’s club. It was a classic Trump-style deal: tough, personal, and sealed with a handshake on the fairway.
John P. Coale, Trump’s lead attorney, credited the President’s political comeback for forcing Silicon Valley’s hand. “If he had not been re-elected, we would have been in court for 1,000 years,” Coale told The Wall Street Journal.
YouTube reinstated Trump’s channel in March 2023, but the lawsuit pressed forward on constitutional grounds. Now, with Meta, X, and YouTube all settling, Trump has not only won legal vindication but also reaffirmed his role as Big Tech’s biggest headache — and America’s boldest defender of free speech.