Elon Musk's Twitter has agreed to pay $10 million to settle Donald Trump's 'censorship' lawsuit that was brought about after the January 6 Capitol riots.
Following the riots that unfolded in January 2021 in Washington DC, social media companies such as Meta and Twitter suspended the then-outgoing president from their platforms.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said on the suspension.
As per the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, Trump decided to sue Twitter and Jack Dorsey, who was then CEO of the social media giant, in July 2021.
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The 78-year-old argued his comments were unfairly censored, though the ban remained until Twitter changed ownership.
Twitter is of course now owned by Musk, a good friend of the president and also a part of his government.
The Tesla founder co-runs the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Musk has even visited the White House recently.
So, in somewhat expected news, Trump's lawsuit involving Twitter has come to an end after the social media company agreed to pay the sum of $10 million to settle the lawsuit.
Back in May 2022, Judge James Donato dismissed the lawsuit, stating Twitter hadn't infringed Trump’s First Amendment rights to free speech.
UNILAD has reached out to Musk's representatives for comment.
Following the verdict, the president had appealed to the US Court of Appeals, and the case was pending until Musk agreed to pay up.
Musk joined Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday (February 11), where an awkward interaction with a reporter occurred.
Musk was asked by a reporter to publicly correct a statement he made about sending $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza in the Middle East, when it was actually Gaza in Mozambique.
"How can we make sure that all the statements that you said were correct, so we can trust what you say?" the journalist subsequently asked.
The Tesla founder, who also forefronts the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), replied: "Some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected.
"I mean, you know, we will make mistakes, but we'll act quickly to correct any mistakes."
Musk also said: "I'm not sure we should be sending $50 million worth of condoms to anywhere, frankly. I'm not sure that's something Americans would be really excited about."
Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Twitter, Social Media
Callum Jones