Meta agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million for a 2021 lawsuit centering on the platform’s suspension of Trump’s accounts.
“Censorship runs rampant,” the 2021 complaint read. “The result is a chilling effect cast over our nation’s pressing political, medical, social, and cultural discussions.”
Discussions for the settlement began after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November, The Wall Street Journal reported. Zuckerberg also made a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund and shifted its policies to align with those of his administration.
According to the WSJ, $22 million of the settlement will go toward Trump’s presidential library fund, while the rest will be used for legal fees.
Meta said in a 2021 statement that it believed Trump’s “actions constituted a severe violation of our rules which merit the highest penalty available under the new enforcement protocols. We are suspending his accounts for two years, effective from the date of the initial suspension on January 7 this year.” Trump’s “actions,” according to the company, pertained to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
In July 2024, Meta lifted the “heightened suspension penalties” against his account.
“With the party conventions taking place shortly, including the Republican convention next week, the candidates for President of the United States will soon be formally nominated,” Meta said at the time. “In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis.”
“As a result, former President Trump, as the nominee of the Republican Party, will no longer be subject to the heightened suspension penalties,” the statement said.
