Global company Meta, has agreed to pay US President Donald Trump $25 million (Ksh3.2 billion) to settle a lawsuit over his claims of being wrongfully censored by Facebook and Instagram after Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
The settlement, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was seen as a win for Trump.
Of the payment, $22 million will fund Trump’s future presidential library, with the remainder covering legal fees and payments to other plaintiffs.
“Meta has confirmed that they won’t acknowledge any misconduct regarding the suspensions of Trump’s social media accounts,” a spokesperson confirmed the settlement to AFP.
Trump criticized Meta for suspending his accounts after the riot over his comments that were seen as supporting the violence.
Recently, Trump courted tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, both of whom attended his presidential inauguration.
Zuckerberg supported Trump and eased some content restrictions on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
He also announced a rollback of fact-checking operations, saying Meta would restore free expression.
This settlement follows other media companies that played a key role in campaigning for Trump’s re-election in November 2024.
Meta also reported a 59% increase in net income, reaching $62.36 billion for last year.