YouTube in ‘productive discussions’ with Trump over Jan. 6 ban lawsuit
YouTube is “engaged in productive discussions” with President Trump’s lawyers in his case against the social media platform for banning his account in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, court documents show.
In a court filing from late May, the two sides asked the judge to delay a June court hearing. The document was first reported Thursday by The Atlantic.
“The parties have engaged in productive discussions regarding next steps in this case, with additional discussions anticipated in the near future,” the lawyers wrote, requesting a Sept. 8 court date.
Trump brought lawsuits against several major tech companies in 2021, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, after he was banned from their platforms following riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In his case against YouTube, which also names Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google parent Alphabet, the president alleged the popular video-sharing site “increasingly engaged in impermissible censorship,” underscoring its decision to ban him on Jan. 12, 2021.
Facebook, which has since become a subset of Mark Zuckerberg’s larger tech company Meta, and the social platform X settled with Trump earlier this year. Meta agreed to pay $25 million in January, while X agreed to pay $10 million in February.
Google declined to comment. The Hill has reached out to Trump’s attorney for comment.
Updated at 5:47 p.m. EDT