Meta has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump for $25 million after the company suspended his accounts following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. According to three sources familiar with the situation, this settlement marks another example of a major corporation resolving legal issues with Trump.
The settlement comes as Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and other tech companies seek to align themselves with the new Trump administration. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the settlement terms include $22 million to be allocated to the nonprofit that will eventually house Trump’s presidential library. The remaining amount will cover legal expenses and payments to other parties involved in the litigation.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the settlement.
In November, Zuckerberg visited Trump at his private Florida club in an effort to rebuild their relationship with the incoming president. This was part of a broader effort by technology, business, and government leaders to establish a connection with Trump. During their dinner, Trump mentioned the ongoing litigation and proposed that they work towards a resolution, which led to two months of negotiations between the two sides, according to sources.
Meta made a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural committee, and Zuckerberg was one of several billionaires given prime seating during Trump’s inauguration at the Capitol Rotunda. Other tech leaders like Sundar Pichai of Google, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Elon Musk, who now owns X (formerly Twitter), were also in attendance.
Ahead of the inauguration, Meta announced it would stop fact-checking content on its platform, a move that aligned with a long-standing request from Trump and his supporters.
Trump filed the lawsuit months after his first term ended, accusing social media companies of engaging in “illegal, shameful censorship of the American people.”
Twitter, Facebook, and Google are private companies, and users must agree to their terms of service to access their platforms. According to Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, these social media companies are allowed to moderate content, such as removing posts that violate their standards or are obscene, as long as they act in “good faith.” The law also protects internet companies from being held liable for user-posted content.
However, Trump and some politicians have long argued that platforms like X, Facebook, and others have misused this legal protection and should lose or have their immunity limited.
The Meta settlement follows a recent agreement where ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump for $15 million. The lawsuit stemmed from anchor George Stephanopoulos’ incorrect claim that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. In addition to the settlement, ABC News also agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito.
The settlement agreement with ABC News characterizes the $15 million payment for Trump’s presidential library as a “charitable contribution.” The funds are designated for a nonprofit organization linked to the future library, which is still in development.
Trump has been outspoken in his legal battles, claiming that legacy media companies have unfairly targeted him with biased coverage.
In addition to the Meta settlement, Trump has filed a lawsuit against CBS News over a “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 rival, Vice President Kamala Harris. He argues that the interview was misleading and amounted to “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference” designed to mislead the public. CBS News has denied these accusations.
Trump is also suing The Des Moines Register, its parent company Gannett, and Iowa pollster Ann Selzer. He alleges that they violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act by releasing a poll just before the November election that significantly downplayed his support in the state. Both the newspaper and Selzer have denied any wrongdoing.