Musk settles for 10M$ with Trump in the Twitter ban lawsuit

According to the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk, through X, is the most recent to reach a legal settlement with Trump since his return to the presidency. 

Musk and X agreed to pay 10 million dollars to settle the dispute related to the suspension of Trump’s Twitter account.

Trump was banned from Twitter in January 2021, following the Capitol attack, due to an alleged risk of inciting violence.

In July 2021, Trump filed lawsuits against Twitter, claiming that his suspension was a violation of his First Amendment rights.

In May 2022, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, but Trump appealed before an agreement was finally reached this week.

After Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, Trump regained his account on the platform, rebranded as X, just one month after the purchase.

Musk, currently a special employee of the Trump administration and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has also supported his campaign by investing approximately 260 million dollars.

Trump also reached a settlement of 25 million dollars with Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for the suspension of his accounts.

These regulations come as Musk and other tech leaders maintain close relationships with the presidency.

This settlement with X adds to Donald Trump’s financial gains since his return to the White House, while he still has several ongoing lawsuits against various media outlets.

Trump is also suing CNN for $475 million for defamation, a case that is still ongoing. He has also filed a lawsuit against the New York Times and Penguin Random House, demanding $10 billion for articles deemed defamatory. Potential settlements could further bolster his financial gains.