Trump wins again.
In a major development, President Donald Trump has reportedly reached a settlement with Meta Platforms, securing a $25 million payout in connection with the 2021 lawsuit he filed following the suspension of his accounts. This settlement comes after Meta banned Trump from its platforms following the events of the January 6 Capitol riot. The settlement marks a significant turning point in Trump’s relationship with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was once an early donor to Trump’s inauguration campaign and even attended the event.
The Associated Press reports that Trump signed the agreement in the Oval Office on Wednesday, with the Wall Street Journal initially breaking the story. The deal, however, is not an admission of guilt by Meta, which will continue to deny any wrongdoing in the matter. As part of the arrangement, the $25 million will be allocated for various purposes, including funding Trump’s presidential library, which will receive $22 million of the total payout. The remainder will cover legal expenses and compensate other plaintiffs involved in the case.
The lawsuit, which Trump filed over what he called “censorship,” was a direct response to his suspension from Meta’s platforms after the Capitol riot. In the complaint, Trump argued that the widespread censorship of conservative voices, especially those aligned with his political movement, had a chilling effect on national discourse. He emphasized that this suppression of free speech went beyond his own case and posed a threat to the broader national conversation on political, medical, and cultural issues.
The settlement follows months of negotiations, including a high-profile dinner between Trump and Zuckerberg at Mar-a-Lago last year and a full day of mediation in Florida in January. This agreement highlights the growing tensions between tech giants and conservatives, as many view actions like these as a direct assault on free speech. Whether the $25 million settlement will change the broader landscape of online censorship remains to be seen, but it is a significant step in Trump’s ongoing battle against Big Tech’s dominance.