Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump after the company suspended his accounts following the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
This settlement marks another instance of a major corporation resolving litigation with Trump, who has previously vowed retribution against his critics and rivals. The agreement comes as Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, seek to strengthen ties with the new Trump administration, following the example of other major technology firms.
The sources, speaking anonymously on Wednesday, revealed that $22 million of the settlement will go to a nonprofit organization designated for Trump’s future presidential library, while the remainder will cover legal fees and other litigants. The Wall Street Journal first reported the settlement.
In November, Zuckerberg met with Trump at his private club in Florida in an effort to mend relations, joining other business, technology, and government figures attempting to do the same. During the dinner, Trump raised the issue of the lawsuit, prompting two months of negotiations that led to the settlement, the sources said.
Meta also contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, and Zuckerberg was among several billionaires seated in a prime location at Trump’s recent swearing-in at the Capitol Rotunda, alongside Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk.
Prior to Trump’s inauguration, Meta announced it would discontinue fact-checking on its platform, a long-standing demand of Trump and his allies.
Trump originally filed the lawsuit months after leaving office, condemning the social media bans as “illegal, shameful censorship of the American people.”
While platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Google are private companies that require users to accept their terms of service, Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act allows them to moderate content in “good faith” by removing posts that violate their standards. The law also generally shields internet companies from liability for content posted by users. However, Trump and some politicians have long argued that platforms like X and Facebook have misused these protections and should either lose or have them restricted.
Meta’s settlement follows ABC News’ agreement last month to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit. The case stemmed from anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air claim that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. Additionally, ABC agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito.
According to the settlement, ABC’s contribution is classified as a “charitable donation” earmarked for a nonprofit associated with Trump’s future presidential library.
Trump has frequently taken legal action against media organizations, arguing they have unfairly targeted him.
He has filed a lawsuit against CBS News, accusing the network of airing a misleading 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which he claims amounted to “partisan and unlawful election interference.” CBS has denied the allegations.
Additionally, Trump is suing The Des Moines Register, its parent company Gannett, and pollster Ann Selzer, alleging they violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act by releasing a pre-election poll that significantly underestimated his support in the state. Both the newspaper and Selzer have denied wrongdoing.