YouTube to pay Trump more than USD 22 million for blocking account after Capitol storming

YouTube has agreed to pay USD 24.5 million as part of a settlement with Donald Trump and other plaintiffs who were blocked by the platform after the events of January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

New York Times writes about this with reference to court documents.

Trump himself will receive USD 22 million of this amount. According to his lawyers, he plans to donate the money to charity and the construction of a ballroom in the White House. The remaining USD 2.5 million will be distributed among other plaintiffs, including writer Naomi Wolf and the American Conservative Union.

When and why YouTube blocked Trump

YouTube blocked Trump's account after the storming of the Capitol, arguing that it risked new calls for violence. In October 2021, the former president filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of censorship.

The deal is part of a broader trend: earlier, Meta paid Trump USD 25 million, social network X paid about USD 10 million, and major media outlets Paramount and ABC News also settled for multimillion-dollar compensation to avoid lengthy lawsuits.

What is known about the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters

On January 6, 2021, a crowd of Trump supporters got into the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., during the approval of the presidential election results. Congressional sessions were suspended, but later resumed and Joe Biden's victory was officially confirmed.

Five people were killed, dozens were injured, and the damage to the building was estimated at at least USD 1.5 million. The events became the basis for the second impeachment of Donald Trump for "inciting an uprising," but the Senate failed to back it.

Already at the beginning of his term, Trump signed a decree pardoning about 1,500 participants in the riots.