Elon Musk’s social media platform X has agreed to settle a lawsuit over the 2021 ban of Donald Trump, following the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
X has reportedly agreed to pay around $10 million to settle the lawsuit Trump filed against Twitter (now X) and its former CEO, Jack Dorsey, over the suspension of his account. The lawsuit stemmed from Trump’s claims that his ban was unjust following the January 6 insurrection, when rioters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
The violence on January 6 left more than 140 police officers injured, as pro-Trump rioters clashed with authorities, wielding flagpoles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and makeshift weapons. In the wake of the riot, social media platforms, including Twitter, banned Trump for fear that his posts would incite further violence, especially due to his false claims of voter fraud.
After Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X, he reinstated Trump’s account and became a prominent supporter of his in the 2024 presidential race. Trump has since appointed Musk as the head of a newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In January, Meta agreed to pay Trump $25 million to settle a separate lawsuit over his claims of wrongful censorship on Facebook and Instagram following the Capitol riot. As part of the settlement, Meta did not admit any wrongdoing regarding Trump’s account suspensions.
Trump has been vocal in his criticism of social media platforms for suspending his accounts after his comments surrounding the January 6 insurrection, which were seen as sympathetic to the rioters. Following his departure from office, Trump granted pardons to over 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol attack and ordered the dismissal of all pending criminal cases against them.
AFP
