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Elon Musk’s social media platform will reportedly become the second to settle a lawsuit brought against it by President Donald Trump.
X has agreed to pay around $10 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the company, formerly called Twitter, and Jack Dorsey, the chief executive at the time, for de-platforming him over the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, the Wall Street Journal (NWSA+0.10%) reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The lawsuit was filed by Trump and other plaintiffs in 2021.
Trump had spread false reports about voter fraud on Twitter after he lost his second bid for the presidency in 2020, and had encouraged his supporters to attend the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them—specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter—we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the platform said in a statement at the time to explain Trump’s suspension.
Due to Trump’s closeness with Elon Musk, now the owner of X, the president’s team considered letting the lawsuit go, but decided on a settlement, according to the Wall Street Journal. After Musk bought the platform, the president’s account was reinstated in November 2022. Musk spent $250 million to help with Trump’s re-election efforts.
Meta (META-0.13%) reportedly agreed to pay $25 million last month to settle a similar lawsuit filed by Trump after his accounts were suspended following the January 6 riot. The settlement terms included $22 million for the non-profit slated to become Trump’s presidential library, and the rest for legal fees and the lawsuit’s other plaintiffs, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team is reportedly expected to settle with Google (GOOGL+0.65%), which banned Trump from its platform, YouTube.