President Donald Trump has reached a settlement in his lawsuit against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, which was previously known as Twitter. This decision comes in the wake of Trump’s ban from the platform following the events of January 6, 2021, when the Capitol was attacked. According to a source familiar with the details, the settlement amount is approximately $10 million. The individual requested anonymity to share information regarding the confidential settlement. A portion of the amount will likely cover Trump’s legal expenses, while the remainder is intended for his upcoming presidential library.
This agreement marks another instance where a significant corporation has opted to make substantial payments to Trump to resolve legal disputes. This trend occurs as Trump has publicly expressed intentions of seeking retribution against those who criticize or oppose him. The Wall Street Journal was the first outlet to report on this recent settlement, with X not immediately available for comment on the matter.
Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and subsequently rebranded it to X, has also invested over $200 million to support Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Moreover, he has been involved with the Trump administration, focusing on transformative changes within the federal bureaucracy.
In addition to this settlement with X, Meta recently agreed to pay $25 million to resolve Trump’s claims regarding his ban from its platforms after the Capitol incident where his supporters attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Furthermore, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit with Trump in December, agreeing to provide $15 million towards his presidential library related to anchor George Stephanopoulos’ erroneous claim about a civil liability ruling against Trump related to writer E. Jean Carroll’s allegations.
Trump’s legal endeavors are extensive; he has also initiated a lawsuit against Alphabet’s Google for being barred from YouTube following the Capitol riot, although his access has been reinstated since then. He has also filed a lawsuit against CBS News, claiming that the network aired a misleading interview featuring Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes.” Trump contends that this amounted to “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference,” which were designed to mislead the public. CBS has denied these accusations.
Moreover, Trump has taken legal action against The Des Moines Register and its parent company, Gannett, as well as pollster Ann Selzer. He claims that they breached the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act by releasing a poll just days before the upcoming November election, which he asserts significantly misrepresented his support in Iowa. Both the newspaper and Selzer have denied any wrongdoing in this matter.
