Elon Musk-owned X has settled a lawsuit with United States President,Donald Trump, regarding Trump’s deplatforming after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the case.
Following the January 6 insurrection, social media platforms, including X, then known as Twitter and Meta, suspended Trump’s accounts toward the end of his presidency.
At the time, Twitter explained the decision in a statement on January 8, 2021,“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them, we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times provided details of the settlement. Court filings from this week reveal that both parties moved to dismiss the appeal, agreeing to cover their own costs.
The dismissal was approved on Monday. CNN has reached out to lawyers for both parties and X for further comments.
Trump initially filed the lawsuit in July 2021 against Twitter and then-CEO Jack Dorsey, accusing the platform of unjustly censoring his speech.
However, Twitter, now renamed X, underwent significant changes under its new owner, Elon Musk.
Musk reinstated Trump’s account after acquiring Twitter in October 2022.
Additionally, Musk’s relationship with Trump has grown closer, with the billionaire being tapped to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency and revamp the federal workforce.
In May 2022, U.S. District Judge James Donato dismissed Trump’s lawsuit, ruling that Twitter did not violate the former president’s First Amendment rights.
Trump later appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case remained until the settlement.
This marks the second time a major social media platform has reached a settlement with Trump over his post-insurrection suspension.
Meta, which had also banned Trump, recently settled a similar lawsuit. Per the settlement agreement, Meta agreed to pay roughly $25 million, with $22 million allocated to a fund for Trump’s presidential library.
Tech leaders have sought ways to strengthen ties with Trump’s administration, often aiming to gain favour despite earlier tensions.
Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and attended the event with nominated Cabinet members.
In response to Trump’s criticisms, Meta scrapped third-party fact-checking and diversity programs and recently appointed Trump ally and UFC president Dana White to its board of directors.
A person familiar with the situation previously told CNN that Trump and Zuckerberg discussed the lawsuit when Zuckerberg visited Trump’s club in November after the election.
Trump also filed a similar lawsuit in 2021 against Google and YouTube’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, over his suspension from their platform.
