Trump celebrates $24.5M YouTube settlement with viral meme mocking Big Tech
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has declared victory over Big Tech after YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle his lawsuit alleging censorship.
Trump marked the moment by posting a meme showing a YouTube executive handing him an oversized check, calling the deal a triumph for free speech.
Donald Trump posts viral meme after YouTube settlement
Court documents filed Monday, September 29, revealed that YouTube's parent company reached the multimillion-dollar settlement without admitting wrongdoing or agreeing to any policy changes.
Soon after, Trump shared a meme on his Truth Social platform that read: “YouTube SURRENDERS! Pays President Trump $24.5 MILLION for illegal ban! This MASSIVE victory proves Big Tech censorship has consequences.”
The image also urged supporters to repost with the caption: “Trump fought for free speech and WON!”
Breakdown of the $24.5 million payout
Of the total $24.5 million settlement, Trump will personally receive $22 million, which he has pledged to donate to the Trust for the National Mall and toward construction of a White House ballroom.
The remaining $2.5 million will go to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union.
While the deal ends the years-long case, Alphabet stressed that it was not an admission of liability and described the agreement as a practical step to avoid prolonged litigation.
In December 2021, YouTube moved to dismiss Trump’s lawsuit arguing that it “flip[ped] the First Amendment on its head” and sought to override the platform’s control over content.
Ultimately, like other companies sued by Trump, Alphabet opted to settle.
The case against YouTube had been closed in 2023, but Trump’s lawyers filed to reopen the case after he won the presidency.
Trump’s history of lawsuits against Big Tech companies
The YouTube deal is the latest in a string of high-profile settlements that have netted Trump millions of dollars.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) (via NPR) settled for $25 million in January 2025. Twitter/X, owned by Elon Musk, paid $10 million in February 2025.
Paramount Global agreed to a $16 million payout over a '60 Minutes' dispute. Disney/ABC News settled a defamation case for $16 million in December 2024.
Trump launched his own platform, Truth Social, after being banned from mainstream social media in 2021, using both litigation and political pressure to fight what he calls censorship.
YouTube’s suspension of Trump and its reversal
Trump’s channel was suspended after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, when YouTube cited concerns over incitement of violence.
The ban was lifted in March 2023, with YouTube stating it wanted voters to “hear equally from major national candidates.”
Last week, Alphabet announced that YouTube would allow creators banned under retired policies, including rules against misinformation about the 2020 election and Covid-19 — to return to the platform.
The settlement itself did not mandate any new changes to content moderation.
Trump has positioned his legal wins as proof that major media and tech companies can be forced to pay for what he frames as unconstitutional restrictions.
