Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has reached a settlement in the lawsuit concerning Donald Trump’s ban from the platform, formerly known as Twitter, following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The lawsuit, which Trump filed against Twitter and its former CEO, Jack Dorsey, alleged that the social media giant had unjustly removed him from the platform in the wake of the insurrection. Under the reported agreement, X will pay approximately $10 million to resolve the dispute, sources familiar with the matter revealed.
In the aftermath of the Capitol riot, which saw over 140 law enforcement officers injured as pro-Trump rioters wielded flagpoles, bats, and chemical sprays, Twitter and other major platforms suspended Trump’s accounts. The decision stemmed from concerns that his false claims of election fraud could incite further violence.
Following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and its subsequent rebranding to X, the billionaire entrepreneur reinstated Trump’s account, signaling a policy shift on the platform’s stance toward political figures. Musk had also emerged as a vocal supporter of Trump during the recent U.S. presidential race.
The settlement with X follows a similar agreement reached between Trump and Meta in January, where the Facebook and Instagram parent company agreed to pay $25 million to settle Trump’s censorship lawsuit. However, Meta did not admit any wrongdoing in relation to its decision to suspend Trump’s accounts.
Since regaining access to X, Trump has criticized social media platforms for their actions against him, arguing that the bans constituted political suppression. After taking office in January, Trump issued mass pardons for more than 1,500 of his supporters who had participated in the Capitol riot, while also ordering the dismissal of pending criminal cases against other individuals involved in the attack.
As of now, X has not issued an official statement regarding the settlement.
AFP
