Donald Trump has snagged a major legal victory in his first few days back in office. Four years after suing Meta over the 2021 suspension of his Facebook account, the case has been settled.
The technology conglomerate, owned by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, agreed to pay a fee of $25 million as part of the settlement deal. $22 million out of the fee will go to Trump’s presidential library as a donation. The remainder will cover legal fees and other plaintiffs who were part of the litigation. Zuckerberg’s attorney, K. Winn Allen, wrote in a federal filing:
“I write to inform the Court that the parties have reached an agreement to settle the named plaintiffs’ individual claims and resolve this matter. The parties will file a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice in the coming days.”
Donald Trump first sued in 2021 after he was booted off Facebook for sharing posts that incited the January 6, 2021, US Capitol rioters. The now-president argued that he endured “impermissible censorship” from Meta, describing the suspension as violating his First Amendment right. Zuckerberg’s company, however, argued that the First Amendment prevented the government—not a private entity—from abridging free speech.
Despite Meta’s solid argument, the tide changed when the Republican’s campaign for the presidency began gaining ground.
Meta’s Settlement To Donald Trump Slammed as Bribery
Zuckerberg cozied up to Trump during his campaign and was among the many billionaires who gave hefty donations. Deadline reports that Meta donated $1 million to his inaugural fund. He was also seen at the inauguration ceremony alongside Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. In addition, his company adopted Trump’s politics, repealing DEI programs and replacing its global policy chief with Joel Kaplan, a Republican. Meta also announced a change in its content moderation policy, including ending fact-checking practices.
It seems the settlement has long been in the works. Per reports, Trump told Zuckerberg during their November Mar-a-Lago dinner that the lawsuit would have to be settled before he would be “brought into the tent.” A day of negotiations reportedly took place behind closed doors in early January.
With concerns about Trump’s administration ushering in an era of oligarchy with billionaires in power, Meta’s whooping settlement raised alarms.
“The hypocrisy of a Trump ‘Library’ is obvious. Let’s just skip that part and go directly to the bribery,” one fan slammed.
“Trump had zero chance with this lawsuit. This is nothing more than a legal bribe to curry favor with Trump,” another comment read.
“Lol. That’s one way to get tax-free donations. Launch a frivolous lawsuit,” a third fan wrote.
“Gotta hand it to Trump; he found an innovative way to get bribes. Sue for a completely baseless reason, collect settlement,” this user theorized.
Neither Donald Trump nor Mark Zuckerberg are yet to comment on the settlement terms personally, but actions speak louder than words.
