Meta’s checkbook is open again, this time to the tune of $25 million, as it settles a contentious lawsuit with Donald Trump over his 2021 suspension from Facebook and Instagram. The payout, confirmed by the company and first reported by The Wall Street Journal, closes a chapter in the saga of Trump’s social media exile following the January 6 Capitol riot—but underscores the messy collision of politics, power, and platform policy.
Of the $25 million, roughly $22 million will funnel into Trump’s presidential library, a move critics might call a velvet-gloved donation to a figure Meta once deemed too dangerous for its platforms. The rest covers legal fees and other plaintiffs. The settlement, filed in San Francisco federal court, avoids a protracted legal battle over whether Meta violated Trump’s First Amendment rights by banning him. His team argued Facebook acted as a “public forum” conspiring with federal officials—a claim Meta swatted away by noting, dryly, that the First Amendment binds governments, not corporations.
But here’s the kicker: This isn’t just about legal technicalities. Since reinstating Trump’s accounts in 2023, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has executed a charm offensive straight out of the political playbook. There were Mar-a-Lago dinners during the presidential transition, a $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund, and even a front-row seat at the swearing-in ceremony. Add Meta’s recent policy shifts—scrapping fact-checking, installing Republican operative Joel Kaplan as global policy chief—and it’s clear Zuckerberg is hedging bets in a polarized America.
“The recent elections feel like a cultural tipping point toward prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg declared earlier this year. Translation: Free speech absolutism sells, especially when regulators loom and election cycles heat up.
Trump, ever the dealmaker, reportedly told Zuckerberg at a November 2023 dinner that settling the lawsuit was key to being “brought into the tent.” By January, mediation at Mar-a-Lago (interrupted by Trump’s virtual sentencing in his New York hush-money case) sealed the deal.
Yet the irony is thick. While Trump frames his return to social media as a free-speech victory, he’s simultaneously threatened networks like Comcast over Seth Meyers’ jokes and sued outlets like CBS News for editing a Kamala Harris interview he wasn’t even in. ABC News coughed up $15 million for his library last December; Paramount Global is now weighing a similar CBS settlement.
Meta’s payout isn’t just a legal truce—it’s a stark reminder of how tech giants navigate (and monetize) the fault lines of democracy. When Zuckerberg prioritizes “speech” over safeguards, and Trump weaponizes lawsuits as fundraising tools, the real winners are rarely the public.
FAQs:
- Why did Meta suspend Donald Trump in 2021?
Meta banned Trump indefinitely after he praised participants in the January 6 Capitol attack, citing risks of incitement. - Does the First Amendment apply to social media platforms?
No. Courts consistently rule the First Amendment restricts government censorship, not private companies like Meta. - What changes has Meta made to its content policies?
Meta ended fact-checking programs, hired Republican strategist Joel Kaplan, and shifted toward “prioritizing speech” in moderation. - How has Zuckerberg courted Trump politically?
Zuckerberg donated to Trump’s inaugural fund, dined at Mar-a-Lago, and attended his swearing-in ceremony post-settlement. - What other media lawsuits has Trump settled?
Trump secured $15M from ABC News in 2023 and is negotiating with CBS over a disputed Kamala Harris interview.
