YouTube Settles Trump Lawsuit for $24.5 Million, Funds Earmarked for White House Ballroom

YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump and other plaintiffs, stemming from his suspension from the platform in 2021. The settlement, confirmed by a recent court filing, allocates a significant portion of the funds for a White House project.

According to the filing, $22 million is designated to support Trump’s construction of a White House State Ballroom, to be held in a tax-exempt entity known as the Trust for the National Mall. The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed among other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including the American Conservative Union, Andrew Baggiani, Austen Fletcher, Maryse Veronica Jean-Louis, Frank Valentine, Kelly Victory, and Naomi Wolf.

The settlement notice explicitly states that this agreement does not constitute an admission of liability or fault by YouTube or its parent company, Google. It is entered into by all parties solely for the purpose of compromising disputed claims and avoiding further litigation expenses and risks.

Trump’s lawsuit alleged that YouTube infringed upon his constitutional right to free speech by indefinitely banning his account following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. YouTube had restored Trump’s channel more than two years later, citing the importance of allowing voters to hear from major national candidates.

This settlement marks the latest in a series of agreements between Trump and social media companies regarding his post-January 6 account suspensions. Earlier this year, Meta agreed to a $22 million donation to Trump’s presidential library and $3 million in legal fees, while X (formerly Twitter) reportedly settled for approximately $10 million.

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