Meta agrees to pay $36 million to President Trump to settle lawsuit over indefinite ban from Facebook, Instagram
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It has been reported that Meta has agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million (about 3.8 billion yen) to settle a 2021 lawsuit over its suspension of President Donald Trump's social media accounts.
Exclusive | Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/trump-signs-agreement-calling-for-meta-to-pay-25-million-to-settle-suit-6f734c8c
Meta agrees to pay Trump $25 million to settle lawsuit over Facebook and Instagram suspensions : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/nx-s1-5279570/meta-trump-settlement-facebook-instagram-suspensions
Meta will pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit with Donald Trump over his 2021 Facebook suspension
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-will-pay-25-million-to-settle-a-lawsuit-with-donald-trump-over-his-2021-facebook-suspension-234046291.html
Meta, which was then called Facebook, suspended President Trump's account and banned him indefinitely on January 21, 2021, during his first term in office. The background to this was criticism that President Trump had incited riots by calling for people to 'head to the Capitol' during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Facebook, Twitch, and Shopify suddenly ban President Trump indefinitely - GIGAZINE
In July 2021, after leaving office, President Trump sued three social media companies, including Meta.
Former President Trump sues Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube - GIGAZINE
On January 29, 2025, The Wall Street Journal, a US daily economic newspaper, reported that Meta had agreed to pay $25 million to President Trump to settle a lawsuit against Meta, which had sued the company for violating the First Amendment by banning it from Facebook and Instagram.
According to reports, the lawsuit was largely stalled until after the U.S. presidential election in November 2024. However, when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited Mar-a-Lago , the villa of President Trump, who was re-elected, President Trump brought up the lawsuit toward the end of the dinner and said, 'We have to settle the lawsuit before we invite Mr. Zuckerberg into our campaign,' according to The Wall Street Journal.
Meta's agreement to pay the settlement brings to an end President Trump's 2021 lawsuit against Meta and CEO Zuckerberg, claiming that the company's banning of the president's account from social media constituted 'unacceptable censorship.'
The agreement is being seen as a victory for President Trump, and the settlement payment is the latest step taken by Meta and CEO Zuckerberg to curry favor with the president.
Prior to the settlement, Meta had abolished independent fact-checking and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in January 2025, and had withdrawn content moderation standards that prohibited dehumanizing posts and defamation targeting immigrants and LGBT people. Meta also welcomed Dana White, a supporter of President Trump and CEO of the American martial arts organization UFC, to its board of directors.
Meta's Mark Zuckerberg declares 'returning to the origins of freedom of expression,' announcing the end of fact-checking functionality and a shift to a community note format - GIGAZINE
These measures may have been effective, as despite President Trump threatening to jail Zuckerberg during the election campaign, Zuckerberg was given a prominent seat at the inauguration on January 21 alongside other CEOs of major IT companies.
Of the $25 million settlement, approximately $22 million will be used to fund President Trump's presidential library .
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