X to pay Trump $10M to settle account ban lawsuit
What's the story
Elon Musk's X has agreed to pay President Donald Trump a $10 million settlement.
The deal settles a lawsuit after the platform banned Trump in the wake of the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
At the time, the platform was called Twitter and was owned by Jack Dorsey. The lawsuit also named X's then CEO Parag Agrawal, the Washington Journal reported.
Lawsuit reconsideration
Trump's team contemplated dropping lawsuit against X
Despite the legal battle, Trump's bond with Musk has apparently deepened over the last two years.
There were even conversations within Trump's camp about potentially dropping the lawsuit against X because of this increasing friendship.
Musk reinstated Trump's Twitter account in 2022 and later donated over $250 million to his 2024 presidential campaign.
Press event
Musk and Trump's joint press briefing and settlement decision
Musk and Trump also recently held a joint press briefing from the Oval Office, further emphasizing their close ties.
Despite his relationship with Musk, Trump decided to go ahead with the settlement.
This comes after Meta made a similar decision in January, agreeing to pay $25 million to settle a similar lawsuit.
Trump's legal team may also look to settle with Google. The tech giant banned Trump from YouTube after the 2021 US Capitol riot.