Big tech hands over a big sum: Inside The President’s settlement

Analysis | By Easton Martin | September 30, 2025

YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump over the platform’s suspension of his account following January 6. Under the terms of the deal, $22 million will go toward the Trust for the National Mall to support the construction of a new White House ballroom, a project President Trump directed the funds to support. The remaining $2.5 million will be distributed among co-plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union, author Naomi Wolf, and individuals who claimed they too were censored.

YouTube, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement and will not change its policies. Still, the payout marks the third major legal win for President Trump against Big Tech this year, following settlements with Meta and X. After years of being told these platforms were untouchable, the tide seems to be shifting.

President Trump’s account was reinstated in 2023, but the lawsuit underscored the reality that the platform had silenced a sitting president and millions of his supporters during a critical moment in the nation’s political life. For all the talk about private companies having the right to set their own rules, the truth is that YouTube and other Silicon Valley giants function as the modern public square. When they shut down a president’s voice, they effectively shut down the right of the American people to hear him.

Critics will say this settlement is only about money. But it is about more than that. It is about accountability. Big Tech is finally being forced to answer for its decisions, and for once the American people can see that these companies are not above the law.

This is not just a victory for President Trump. It is a victory for free speech and for every American who believes the digital town square should not be controlled by a handful of unelected corporate executives.