Meta has agreed to a $25 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump after the company suspended his accounts following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, according to reports.
The agreement marks another major corporation settling litigation with Trump, who has warned of retaliation against critics. It also comes as Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, seek to repair ties with the new Trump administration.
According to sources, the settlement allocates $22 million to the nonprofit that will fund Trump’s future presidential library, with the remainder covering legal fees and other expenses.
The discussions began after a private meeting in November at Trump’s Florida club, where he raised the issue with Zuckerberg, prompting months of negotiations.
Meta also contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, and Zuckerberg was among several high-profile tech executives, including Google’s Sundar Pichai, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, who were given prime seating at Trump’s recent swearing-in ceremony.
In a move aligned with Trump’s long-standing demands, Meta announced ahead of the inauguration that it would discontinue fact-checking on its platform.
Trump had originally filed the lawsuit after leaving office, claiming the social media bans were an example of “illegal, shameful censorship.” While private companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Google are permitted to moderate content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, Trump and some allies have argued that platforms have abused this protection and should face stricter regulation.
The Meta settlement follows ABC News’ agreement last month to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate claim about Trump’s civil liability in the E. Jean Carroll case. ABC also covered $1 million in legal fees for Trump’s attorney.
Trump, who launched his own social media platform, Truth Social, in 2021 as a response to being banned from mainstream platforms, continues to use it for policy announcements and personal statements, while also leveraging his reinstated X and Facebook accounts to reach broader audiences.
