YouTube pays $22 million toward the White House ballroom to settle Trump's account-ban lawsuit
Alphabet's YouTube agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle Trump's lawsuit over his post-January 6 suspension: $22 million to the Trust for the National Mall for the construction of the White House State Ballroom, and $2.5 million to other plaintiffs.
What happened
The settlement, filed on September 29, 2025, directs $22 million to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall "to support the construction of the White House State Ballroom," according to the court document, and $2.5 million to other plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union. Trump's 2025 financial disclosure lists the settlement as $22,000,000 from Alphabet, paid to the Trust for the National Mall. Trump called it a "MASSIVE victory." The money went to a charity the family does not control, so it is shown, not counted.
Why it matters
YouTube was the last of the big platforms to pay Trump to end a suit over his suspension, and its $22 million went to the new White House ballroom, a $200 million, Mar-a-Lago-style project, NPR reported. "This is straight influence-peddling," said Eric Goldman, a Santa Clara University law professor. YouTube pointed reporters to the court document.