Meta has agreed to pay former President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 federal lawsuit that accused the social media giant of violating his First Amendment rights by suspending his Facebook and Instagram accounts following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The settlement resolves Trump’s legal claims against Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, for what he described as “impermissible censorship” by banning him from their platforms while he was still in office. Trump argued that Meta had acted under pressure from government officials, effectively making it an extension of the state and, therefore, bound by First Amendment protections.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the settlement, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, stating that approximately $22 million of the payout would be directed to Trump’s presidential library. However, the specific terms of the settlement were not disclosed in a court letter filed on January 29 by Zuckerberg’s attorney, K. Winn Allen. The letter only stated that both parties had reached an agreement and would soon move to have the lawsuit dismissed.
The settlement represents a significant legal and political victory for Trump, who has long accused major tech companies of suppressing conservative voices. It also marks a shift in Zuckerberg’s approach toward Trump, signaling a potential warming of relations after years of public and legal battles between the two.
Zuckerberg was one of several Silicon Valley executives who contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund in 2017. More recently, he has made other moves that appear favorable to the former president. Earlier this month, Meta shut down its long-standing fact-checking program, which had been heavily criticized by Trump and his supporters. Additionally, Meta promoted Republican lobbyist Joel Kaplan to oversee the company’s global affairs and appointed Trump ally Dana White to its board of directors.
Despite these recent moves, tensions between Trump and Zuckerberg have persisted for years. In a book Trump published before his presidency, he harshly criticized Zuckerberg for donating over $400 million in 2020 to support local election offices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump accused Zuckerberg of influencing the election outcome and even threatened to imprison him for life if given the chance.
Until recently, Meta’s legal team had been vigorously defending against Trump’s lawsuit, arguing that the case was baseless. Meta maintained that it is a private company, and as such, the First Amendment—which restricts government censorship—does not apply to its decisions.
Trump’s legal team countered by claiming that Meta had only suspended Trump’s accounts after facing pressure from members of Congress and other elected officials. By acting in response to government influence, Trump’s attorneys argued, Meta was effectively serving as an arm of the state and was therefore subject to constitutional free speech protections.
Meta, however, dismissed this argument in legal filings, insisting that Trump’s suspension was solely based on his violation of platform policies against inciting violence. Meta’s attorneys stated that it was unreasonable to attribute the actions of a private company to the government simply because some lawmakers had criticized Trump.
This payout is the second legal settlement Trump has secured in recent months. In December, ABC News agreed to pay him $15 million to settle a lawsuit related to its coverage of E. Jean Carroll, the writer who has accused Trump of sexual abuse.
With this latest victory, Trump continues to challenge major media and tech companies, reinforcing his longstanding claim that social media giants unfairly target conservatives.