Meta announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that alleged it was unfairly censored by Facebook and Instagram after the riots at the U.S. Capitol.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the settlement of the lawsuit against Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which was seen as a victory for Trump.
A person familiar with the agreement said $22 million of the payment will go towards funding Trump’s future presidential library, while the rest will go towards legal costs and payments to other plaintiffs in the suit.
As part of the settlement, Meta does not admit any wrongdoing related to blocking Trump’s account.
A Meta spokesman confirmed the agreement to AFP.
President Trump has been heavily criticized by social media platforms for blocking his accounts after the January 6, 2021, riot by his supporters and for comments he made that were perceived as praising those involved in the riot.
But he has recently garnered the support of tech moguls such as Zuckerberg and X owner Elon Musk, who attended Trump’s inauguration in Washington last week.
Zuckerberg has voiced his support for Trump and adjusted Meta’s policies to lift restrictions on some content across its apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
Meta will “restore free speech on our platform,” Zuckerberg, who reportedly dined with Trump at his Florida mansion last November, said this month when he announced the withdrawal of fact-checking measures.
The agreement is the latest step by the media conglomerate in its bid to re-elect Trump.
In December, ABC News agreed to pay a $15 million settlement to resolve a defamation lawsuit filed by President Trump over comments a top news anchor made about him on live television.
Meta reported on Wednesday that its full-year net income rose 59 percent to $62.36 billion.
