Donald Trump sued Meta after his Facebook and Instagram accounts were shut down in 2021. This was due to posts he wrote in connection with the attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The settlement amount corresponds to approximately 275 million kronor.
$22 million will go to Trump's presidential library, while the remaining three million are expected to cover legal costs and go to other plaintiffs in the case.
Alleged electoral fraud
A spokesperson for Meta confirms the settlement, according to the newspaper. However, the company does not admit to having done anything wrong.
In the days leading up to January 6, Trump wrote repeated posts on social media in which he made false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and that he had actually won. Mark Zuckerberg said in connection with the shutdown that the risks "simply are too great" if Donald Trump were to continue using the platforms.
Since then, the frosty relations between the tech company and Trump have thawed significantly. Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with the then-incoming president at his residence in Florida in November, and Meta donated one million dollars to Trump's inauguration ceremony.
More lawsuits
Trump's Facebook account was reactivated in January 2023.
YouTube and the then-Twitter also shut down Donald Trump from their platforms in connection with the January 6 attack. In November 2022, shortly after Elon Musk bought Twitter and renamed it X, Trump was let back in. YouTube lifted the shutdown in March 2023.
In connection with the lawsuit against Meta, Trump also initiated a number of other legal proceedings. In December, he reached a settlement with ABC News and its anchor George Stephanopoulos, worth $15 million.
