Elon Musk's company to pay Trump $10 million to settle lawsuit
Elon Musk has agreed to pay Donald Trump $10 million to settle a lawsuit filed after the president's account was blocked in 2021.
Here's What We Know
According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk's platform, X (formerly Twitter), has agreed to this compensation to settle the dispute.
Trump sued the social network for blocking him after 6 January 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Although a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2022, the former president's lawyers continued to appeal.
Shortly after the judge's decision, Elon Musk (who has become a key Trump ally) acquired Twitter (now known as X) and reinstated Trump's account. Subsequently, Facebook and other platforms also reinstated Trump's account, although he still publishes most of his social media posts on Truth Social, which is owned by Trump Media Technology Group.
Trump's team reportedly initially considered dropping the lawsuit against X because of the president's close relationship with Musk, which has grown even stronger over the past two years. Musk reinstated Trump's Twitter account in 2022 and subsequently invested over $250 million in his 2024 election campaign. This week, Musk and Trump held a joint press conference at the White House.
Nevertheless, Trump decided to continue with the lawsuit and reached a settlement. In January, Meta also agreed to pay $25 million to settle a similar lawsuit related to the same incident.
Source: Wall Street Journal
