Elon Musk’s X has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit with former US President Donald Trump over his deplatforming following the January 6, 2021, insurrection. The payment is part of a settlement agreement that also includes Trump’s presidential library fund.
In January 2021, social media companies including X (then Twitter) and Meta suspended Trump from their platforms due to concerns about incitement of violence. Trump had sued Twitter and its CEO Jack Dorsey in July 2021, arguing that his speech was being unfairly censored.
After Musk purchased Twitter in October 2022, he reinstated Trump’s account. This deal marks the second major social media platform to settle a lawsuit with Trump over the insurrection, following Meta’s similar agreement last month.
Tech leaders have sought to build relationships with the Trump administration, with some donating large sums of money and others removing policies that align with Trump’s views. The payment is seen as an effort by Musk’s X to ingratiate itself with the administration.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/12/business/x-settlement-musk-trump-jan-6/index.html