★ Private Action
Meta pays $22M to Trump library to settle Facebook ban suit
Corporate FavorsMedia SettlementsTrump Presidential Library
Filed January 2025$25,000,000
★ The Brief
What happened
Meta agreed to pay $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit over the suspension of Donald Trump's Facebook account after January 6, with $22 million directed to a fund for his planned presidential library and the rest split among other plaintiffs.
Who enabled it
Meta agreed to pay $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit filed by Donald Trump and others who claimed their Facebook accounts were unlawfully shut down or blocked at the urging of the U.S. government following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Of the total, $22 million is directed to a fund supporting the construction of Trump's presidential library, while $3 million is split among four named plaintiffs in the suit. The settlement followed direct negotiations between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump, with Trump's lawyer John Coale present. The suit had been filed in Florida as a class action but was never certified as such, meaning no portion flows to general Facebook users.
Actors
Who pushed it · 2Who initiated, paid, or pushed the action.
Mark ZuckerbergPersonally negotiated the settlement directly with Trump and authorized Meta's $25 million payment, including $22 million to Trump's presidential library fund, while seeking to improve Meta's relationship with the incoming Trump administration.
MetaPaid $25 million to settle the lawsuit — $22 million to Trump's presidential library fund and $3 million to named plaintiffs — as part of a broader effort to thaw relations with the Trump administration.
Beneficiaries
Who gained · 2Who stood to gain.
Donald TrumpA named plaintiff in the suit who shared in the $3 million paid to the four plaintiffs, while $22 million of the $25 million settlement went to the fund for his planned presidential library. Negotiated the settlement directly with Mark Zuckerberg.
Donald J. Trump Presidential Library FoundationReceived $22 million of Meta's settlement, directed to the fund supporting construction of Trump's planned presidential library.
Further reading
- ★ Private ActionJanuary 2025Meta donates $1M to Trump inauguration amid admin outreach
- ★ Private ActionOctober 2025Corporations pledge funding for Trump's $300M White House ballroom
- ★ Government ActionSeptember 2025Florida Cabinet transfers $66M Miami parcel to Trump library foundation
- ★ Government ActionJanuary 2025DeSantis signs law shielding Trump library from local opposition
- ★ Private ActionDecember 2024ABC News pays $15M to Trump library to settle defamation suit
- ★ Government ActionFebruary 2026Moroun lobbies Lutnick before Trump threatens Gordie Howe Bridge