• YouTube will pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump.
• $22 million of the settlement will fund a White House ballroom project.
• Trump accused YouTube of political censorship after his account suspension post-January 6 riot.
• This settlement marks the third major tech company to resolve similar lawsuits from Trump.
• The agreement does not include any admission of wrongdoing by YouTube.

YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after his account was suspended following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots. The settlement allocates $22 million for Trump's contributions to the Trust for the National Mall, which is overseeing the construction of a new ballroom at the White House. The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed among other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union and author Naomi Wolf, according to a court filing.Reuters, ABC News, and CBS News.

The case emerged when tech platforms, including YouTube, suspended Trump's accounts due to concerns about potential violence incited by his posts regarding the 2020 election results. Trump claimed these suspensions suppressed conservative viewpoints and constituted wrongful censorship. Notably, this settlement follows similar agreements made by Twitter, now known as X, and Meta (Facebook's parent company), which recently paid $10 million and $25 million respectively to settle their own lawsuits with Trump.BBC, The Hill, and SCMP.

YouTube has denied any wrongdoing in the settlement, emphasizing it sought to resolve the dispute and avoid further legal expenses. Legal experts have described Trump's legal arguments regarding First Amendment violations as weak since these protections do not typically extend to private companies like YouTube. These circumstances reflect a wider trend in the tech industry, which has begun to adopt a more conciliatory approach toward Trump's administration since his re-election...NPR, HuffPost, and Africanews.

The settlement also comes in the backdrop of tech leaders now attending events with Trump, showcasing a potential thaw in the previously frosty relations between Silicon Valley and the former president. This shift signifies a broader acceptance and partner approach from tech companies in responding to Trump's ongoing presence in American politics and his demands for free speech protections.TRT Global, The Jakarta Post, and India Times.