Trump and Meta Reach $25M Settlement Over Social Media Ban – BBC Reports
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, have reached a $25 million settlement over Trump’s lawsuit.
According to BBC, Trump had sued Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, after his accounts were banned in 2021 following the Capitol riots on January 6.
BBC explains that most of the settlement money—around $22 million—will be used to fund Trump’s presidential library, while the rest will cover legal fees and payments to others involved in the lawsuit. However, BBC confirms that Meta has not admitted to doing anything wrong.
In 2021, Meta banned Trump for at least two years, saying his posts could incite violence. However, as BBC reports, in July 2024, Meta fully restored Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the U.S. elections.
Interestingly, BBC notes that despite their past conflicts, Mark Zuckerberg visited Trump’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, after Trump’s election victory in November. Meta even donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, and Zuckerberg attended the event alongside other tech billionaires.
Trump has previously accused Facebook of being “anti-Trump,” and in 2024, he called the platform an “enemy of the people.” However, BBC highlights that his stance softened after the ban was lifted.
In contrast, BBC reports that Twitter (now X), owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk, permanently banned Trump in 2021. But after Musk purchased the company for $44 billion, he reinstated Trump’s account in 2022 based on a public vote.
Separately, BBC also discusses Meta’s $65 billion investment in artificial intelligence (AI). The company’s stock rose despite global concerns over the rapid rise of Chinese AI competitor DeepSeek. BBC quotes Zuckerberg as saying that Meta’s approach—offering open-source AI for free—will help the U.S. stay ahead in the AI race.
Zuckerberg also defended Meta’s recent decision to stop fact-checking posts, stating that a new “community notes” system would be more effective.
BBC notes that despite concerns over misinformation, Meta has not seen a drop in advertisers.
Meta’s financial performance remains strong. BBC reports that the company earned over $48 billion in revenue in late 2024, a 21% increase from the previous year, with profits of over $20 billion.
This settlement with Trump marks another big moment for Meta, as BBC points out that the company continues to navigate both political controversies and major investments in AI and social media.
Credit : BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79d74nppvpo