US President Donald Trump has emerged victorious in a brutal lawsuit against popular video sharing platform YouTube, as the social media website owned by Google parent company Alphabet has been forced to pay out an eye-watering sum on $24.5 million.
One of the major trends of Donald Trump's second term as president is his success in legal cases, as he has not only emerged victorious in landmark lawsuits against ABC and George Stephanopoulos to the tune of $15 million, he has also threatened further legal action against the broadcaster in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's return to TV screens.
His return to office has also seen the completion of a number of lawsuits aimed towards social media companies, with Trump's fight against YouTube being a particularly notable victory for the president.
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As reported by the New York Post, YouTube agreed to pay a figure of around $24.5 million in order to settle a long-standing lawsuit levied by President Trump, relating to his suspension over four years ago.
The lawsuit was opened in July 2021, relating to YouTube decision to suspend Trump's official account on the platform following the January 6 riots at the US Capitol, where supporters of the outgoing president stormed the building amid claims that the election was 'fixed'.
Trump's ban on YouTube lasted just over two years, with the video sharing platform reinstating his account on March 17, 2023 following his decision to launch his 2024 presidential campaign a few months prior.
"We carefully evaluated the continued risk of real-world violence, balancing that with the importance of preserving the opportunity for voters to hear equally from major national candidates in the run-up to an election," explained Leslie Miller, YouTube's vice president of public policy following the decision to unban Trump's account.
The lawsuit – which alleged that YouTube unlawfully silenced conservative viewpoints – persisted despite this decision, and Monday's decision saw YouTube donate $22 million to the Truth for the National Mall, which is a nonprofit group raising donations for the $200 million ballroom set to be built at the White House by 2029.
The remaining $2.5 million will go to the other plaintiffs that emerged victorious in this case, including the American Conservative Union.
YouTube isn't the first social media platform to fall victim to a Trump-led lawsuit this year either, as both Facebook's parent company Meta and X settled earlier this year, handing over $25 million and $10 million respectively.
Trump's attorney John Coale believes that Trump's success in the election last year "had a lot to do with it," adding that "some good headway" was made with the companies about "changing their behavior" following the new administration.