Meta Caves In, Pays $25 Million To Settle Trump Lawsuit

Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against the company after it suspended his accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Zuckerberg visited Trump in November at his private Florida club in an effort to repair relations, as have other technology, business, and government officials.

It’s the latest instance of a major corporation settling litigation with the president, who has threatened retribution against his critics and rivals. The settlement comes as Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, join other major technology companies in attempting to ingratiate themselves with the Trump administration.

Sources familiar with the matter said that under the terms of the agreement, $22 million will go to the nonprofit that will become Trump’s future presidential library, while the remaining amount will cover legal fees and other litigants.

Zuckerberg visited Trump in November at his private Florida club in an effort to repair relations, as have other technology, business, and government officials. During the dinner, Trump reportedly raised the lawsuit and suggested a resolution, prompting two months of negotiations.

Meta also made a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural committee, and Zuckerberg was among several billionaires granted prime seating during Trump’s swearing-in last week at the Capitol Rotunda.

Others in attendance included Google’s Sundar Pichai, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, who now owns X (formerly Twitter).

Before Trump’s inauguration, Meta announced it was discontinuing fact-checking on its platform—a long-standing demand of Trump and his allies but a move widely condemned by industry observers.