Musk Agrees to Pay Trump Millions Over Twitter Account Suspension

Elon Musk has reached a financial settlement with former US President Donald Trump, agreeing to pay him $10 million following Trump's lawsuit regarding the suspension of his Twitter account in 2021. This agreement comes after a similar payment made by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, which reportedly paid Trump $25 million to resolve a related legal matter.

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, the payment from Musk's platform, now known as X, was made in response to legal actions initiated by Trump after he was banned from Twitter following the events of January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Initially, Twitter had successfully defended its decision to suspend Trump's account in a lower court. However, as the appeals process progressed, the arguments presented by Trump's legal team faced skepticism from judges. Recently, the appeal was withdrawn, as indicated by court documents.

The suspension of Trump's account was justified by the platforms citing concerns over potential calls for violence. Twitter had initially indicated that Trump's return was not permissible under its rules. However, after Musk acquired Twitter for approximately $44 billion in late 2022, he reinstated Trump's account. Meta also lifted its suspension of Trump in January 2023 after a two-year ban.

During the time of his suspension, Trump had made numerous claims of electoral fraud, asserting that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him. His supporters disrupted a congressional session that was set to certify Joe Biden's victory, which directly led to the Capitol riots. Trump, during the attack, did not immediately call for his supporters to retreat.

Musk's financial involvement with Trump extends beyond this settlement. In the previous year, he reportedly invested over $250 million into Trump's campaign and has been recognized as one of Trump's closest allies, with Trump reportedly tasking Musk with efforts to reduce government spending.