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By Andrew Stanton and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump has reportedly signed settlement papers expected to require Meta Platforms to pay approximately $25 million to resolve a 2021 lawsuit he filed after the company suspended his accounts following the riot at the U.S. Capitol that year.
The Associated Press said it spoke with three sources familiar with the agreement.
Newsweek reached out to Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn for comment.
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Why It Matters
Trump faced bans from Meta's platforms after the 2020 presidential election over the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The settlement marks a shift in his relationship with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration and attended the event. In recent weeks, he also implemented changes to the platform's content moderation system, including removing fact-checkers.
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What To Know
According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, Meta will not admit wrongdoing. Trump reportedly signed the settlement agreement on Wednesday in the Oval Office. The Wall Street Journal was first to report this story.
Discussions about the agreement began after Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year, the Journal reported. In January, Meta and Trump engaged in a full day of mediation at the Florida estate.
Trump also sued Twitter, now X, after leaving the White House in 2021, but a judge eventually tossed that lawsuit.
Trump raised concerns about "censorship" in the complaint against Meta.
"Censorship runs rampant against the Putative Class Members, and the result is a chilling effect cast over our nation's pressing political, medical, social, and cultural discussions," the complaint read.
What People Are Saying
Richard Hanania, the president of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, on X: "Meta agrees to pay Trump $25 million in lawsuit over him getting banned, $22 million going to his presidential library. Just completely open and brazen corruption. Trump pioneering new ways to abuse his power to get paid. King of the Grift. All are amateurs in comparison.
**Adam Steinbaugh, a lawyer for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), on X: "**This lawsuit -- principally about whether Facebook was a state actor -- was bogus from the start. If Trump were not president, there would be no settlement."
What Happens Next
Of the $25 million, $22 million will go toward funding Trump's presidential library, while the remainder will cover legal fees and compensate other plaintiffs who joined the case, according to the report.
Update 1/29/25, 6:37 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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