Meta Agrees to Pay Trump $25 Million, Reports Say
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has allegedly reached a settlement of $25 million to resolve a censorship lawsuit initiated by President Trump. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has reportedly come to an agreement to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit initiated by President Donald Trump. Trump accused the company of censorship due to the suspension of his Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021.
This lawsuit is part of Trump's wider legal campaign against various major social media platforms that banned him following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. According to reports, the settlement will allocate $22 million to Trump's presidential library fund, while the remaining funds will cover legal expenses and compensate other plaintiffs, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
While Meta has not publicly detailed the settlement terms, sources informed multiple US media outlets about the resolution. The company has not admitted to any wrongdoing. However, it is said to have opted for a settlement after extended legal proceedings and discussions that gained momentum after a meeting between CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November 2024.
In an attempt to improve its relationship with Trump, Meta has ended its contentious third-party fact-checking program in the United States. Zuckerberg acknowledged that these services had become “too politically biased” and had “destroyed more trust than they’ve created.”
Zuckerberg also noted that the adjustments were influenced by the prevailing political atmosphere, especially after Trump's election victory. He stated, “The recent elections feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech,” pledging to curtail “censorship.”
Additionally, Meta has chosen to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and has revised its hiring processes that took into account applicants’ gender and racial backgrounds.
In 2021, Trump filed lawsuits against Twitter, Google, and Facebook, claiming “censorship.” He argued that if these platforms could ban a sitting US president, “they can do it to anyone.” His lawsuit against Twitter was dismissed in May 2022 while Elon Musk was in the process of acquiring the company.
Meta restored Trump’s accounts in early 2023, implementing specific content moderation rules designed to prevent “repeat violations” of its platform regulations.
Last month, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million as a “charitable contribution” to support Trump’s presidential library after settling a defamation lawsuit. Presidential libraries in the United States, which began with Franklin D. Roosevelt, are entities intended to preserve and provide access to the records and historical materials of US presidents. The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library is managed by the National Archives and Records Administration and currently functions as a digital repository, with no publicly available plans for a physical site.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
This lawsuit is part of Trump's wider legal campaign against various major social media platforms that banned him following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. According to reports, the settlement will allocate $22 million to Trump's presidential library fund, while the remaining funds will cover legal expenses and compensate other plaintiffs, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
While Meta has not publicly detailed the settlement terms, sources informed multiple US media outlets about the resolution. The company has not admitted to any wrongdoing. However, it is said to have opted for a settlement after extended legal proceedings and discussions that gained momentum after a meeting between CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November 2024.
In an attempt to improve its relationship with Trump, Meta has ended its contentious third-party fact-checking program in the United States. Zuckerberg acknowledged that these services had become “too politically biased” and had “destroyed more trust than they’ve created.”
Zuckerberg also noted that the adjustments were influenced by the prevailing political atmosphere, especially after Trump's election victory. He stated, “The recent elections feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech,” pledging to curtail “censorship.”
Additionally, Meta has chosen to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and has revised its hiring processes that took into account applicants’ gender and racial backgrounds.
In 2021, Trump filed lawsuits against Twitter, Google, and Facebook, claiming “censorship.” He argued that if these platforms could ban a sitting US president, “they can do it to anyone.” His lawsuit against Twitter was dismissed in May 2022 while Elon Musk was in the process of acquiring the company.
Meta restored Trump’s accounts in early 2023, implementing specific content moderation rules designed to prevent “repeat violations” of its platform regulations.
Last month, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million as a “charitable contribution” to support Trump’s presidential library after settling a defamation lawsuit. Presidential libraries in the United States, which began with Franklin D. Roosevelt, are entities intended to preserve and provide access to the records and historical materials of US presidents. The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library is managed by the National Archives and Records Administration and currently functions as a digital repository, with no publicly available plans for a physical site.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
