YouTube will pay Trump $24.5 million for blocking: most of the amount will go to a ballroom in the White House

The video hosting platform YouTube, owned by Google, has reached a settlement agreement with former US President Donald Trump. The platform will pay $24.5 million in compensation for blocking his account following the Capitol riot in 2021.

As reported by The Washington Post, a significant portion of these funds will be directed to an unusual purpose. According to the terms of the agreement, at Trump’s instruction, $22 million will be allocated to the construction of a new ballroom in the White House. The remaining amount will be distributed among other participants in the lawsuit, who also accused YouTube of applying censorship.

This settlement is another in a series of similar agreements by Trump with tech giants. Previously, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) paid $25 million in a similar lawsuit, and the social network X (formerly Twitter) agreed to compensation of $10 million.