Meta to pay $25 million to settle Trump lawsuit over 2021 social media ban

According to The Wall Street Journal, $22 million of the settlement will go toward funding the Trump Presidential Library, while the remaining amount will cover legal fees and compensation for other plaintiffs involved in the case. Meta will not admit to wrongdoing as part of the agreement, which Trump signed Wednesday in the Oval Office.

Discussions about the ongoing lawsuit reportedly intensified after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November. Over recent months, Zuckerberg has been working to resolve past tension between his company and the president. During the dinner, Trump allegedly suggested that resolving the lawsuit was necessary before Zuckerberg could be “brought into the tent,” according to a source cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The Meta lawsuit was one of several legal actions Trump pursued against social media companies. In 2021, he also sued Twitter (now X), YouTube, and their parent companies over account suspensions. A federal judge dismissed the Twitter lawsuit, while the Google case was closed in 2023, though it could potentially be reopened.

The original complaint against Meta accused the company of censorship and claimed its actions created a negative effect on political discussions in our nation.

“Censorship runs rampant,” the 2021 Meta complaint stated. “The result is a chilling effect cast over our nation’s pressing political, medical, social, and cultural discussions.” The lawsuit sought an injunction forcing Facebook to reinstate accounts and remove content warning labels.

Last July, Meta announced it would lift restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, stating that it aimed to ensure a level playing field ahead of the 2024 election. The decision came on the heels of Facebook's efforts during the 2020 election cycle to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story on its platform.