Elon Musk’s X in $16m Donald Trump lawsuit deal

Elon Musk’s X will pay about $US10m ($16m) to settle a lawsuit Donald Trump brought against the social media company, then known as Twitter, and its former chief executive.

Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC this week. Picture: AFP

Elon Musk’s X has agreed to pay about $US10m ($16m) to settle a lawsuit Donald Trump brought against the company and its former chief executive.

The agreement makes X the second social media company to settle litigation Mr Trump launched when the companies barred him from their platforms over his role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

Mr Trump, along with other plaintiffs, filed the lawsuit in 2021 against the company, then called Twitter, and its CEO at the time, Jack Dorsey. Mr Musk reinstated Mr Trump on the platform in ­November 2022.

Mr Trump’s team considered letting the lawsuit fizzle out, according to sources, citing Mr Musk’s closeness to the President and the fact he spent $US250m to help elect him. But they ultimately moved forward with the settlement despite the relationship.

A spokesman for X didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Last month, Meta settled a similar lawsuit over its suspension of Mr Trump’s Facebook account for $US25m – with $US22m going to Mr Trump’s presidential library. The Meta settlement was more than twice as much as the amount X is set to pay.

Mr Trump’s lawyers are also expected to pursue a settlement with Google, which banned Mr Trump from YouTube after the Capitol riot.

The lawsuits against the three tech companies, filed in July 2021, appeared to be stalled before ­November’s presidential election. After Mr Trump won, talks picked up with Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

A federal judge in 2022 dismissed the Twitter lawsuit, and Mr Trump’s lawyers appealed. A federal appeals court heard arguments in late 2023. About two weeks after the election, Mr Trump’s lawyers filed a letter with the court that said they were discussing a settlement with the company. All the parties involved last week filed a motion to dismiss the appeal. It was granted on Monday.

After losing the 2020 election, Mr Trump used Twitter to spread false reports about voting fraud and to encourage followers to travel to Washington for a “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021.

Some supporters subsequently marched to the Capitol and rioted.

Two days after the riot, Twitter suspended Mr Trump’s personal account, citing the risk of incitement of violence.

“After close review of recent tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them – specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter – we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said at the time.

Other social media platforms took similar steps. Mr Musk took control of Twitter in October 2022, and renamed it X. In November 2022, he reinstated Mr Trump’s account after polling users on the question and finding that they wanted him to return.

The Wall Street Journal