Musk and Trump put their legal disagreements to rest
In the aftermath of the Capitol incident, social media heavyweight Twitter, like many others, suspended Donald Trump's account. Trump challenged this decision in court. Fast forward to now, Elon Musk's platform X, previously Twitter, has shown a conciliatory approach in the legal spat.
Reports suggest that X shelled out $10 million to Trump, following his lawsuit against the Twitter suspension in 2021. Initially, Trump's team deliberated on letting the legal battle progress given their close relationship with Musk. However, a settlement was eventually reached, with court documents yet to be made public [1].
Meta, Facebook's parent company, had earlier settled with Trump, paying him $25 million to put an end to a similar lawsuit. The online platforms banished Trump following his supporters' Capitol invasion in January 2021.
Trump's legal challenge against Twitter endured initial success, but skepticism from judges marred his final appeal hearing in late 2023. Despite this, the appeal was dropped prematurely as shown in court papers.
Following the Capitol disruption, Trump's backers disrupted a Congress session, where Joe Biden's election victory and Trump's defeat were to be certified. Trump had incited his followers with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, leading to the Capitol chaos. During the attack, Trump initially refrained from dispelling his supporters, raising concerns over incitement of violence.
Meta initially forced a two-year suspension on Trump, while Twitter ruled out his reinstatement citing its own policies. However, after Musk purchased Twitter for around $44 billion in 2022, Trump's account was reactivated. Meta ultimately lifted the suspension in January 2023. A legal tussle against Google's YouTube, however, is still ongoing. Trump's lawyers are reportedly seeking a settlement with Google [2].
Musk backed Trump's election campaign with an investment exceeding $250 million, cementing their close alliance. Trump later tasked Musk with reducing government spending [1].
[1] Enrichment data: Source: The Wall Street Journal
[2] Enrichment data: Source: CNN Business, TechCrunch, Reuters, and others.
The ongoing legal dispute between Trump and Google's YouTube has led to reports of a potential settlement being sought by Trump's lawyers.
The recent conciliation between Elon Musk's X and Trump, stemming from Trump's lawsuit against the Twitter suspension in 2021, saw X paying Trump an alleged $10 million.
