Trump's Capitol riot legal battle comes to an end: Tech giants foot the bill for settlement, details remain a mystery.

According to court documents, former US President Donald Trump has ended a long-standing legal dispute related to the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol. This dispute stemmed from his ban from the Twitter platform following the events. However, the notice released later on Friday did not mention the details of how the case was resolved, nor did it mention whether Elon Musk, after acquiring Twitter, agreed to any related terms. Trump's lawyer John Cole declined to comment. Lawyers and representatives for X, formerly known as Twitter, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump has established a close relationship with Musk, who was one of the main donors to Trump's election campaign and currently serves as a key advisor to the Trump administration's Department of Efficiency. Since being re-elected as President, Trump has reached favorable settlements with other tech and media giants. In December 2024, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by anchor George Stephanopoulos against Trump. In January 2025, Meta Platforms agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over the ban of his account on Facebook. It is understood that Trump had separately sued X, Facebook, and Alphabet Inc. Class C, seeking compensation and ensuring that other users would not be banned or labeled by these tech giants. All three companies eventually lifted the bans on Trump, but by then Trump had already shifted most of his social media commentary to his own platform, Truth Social. In 2021, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that X's suspension of Trump's account for violating terms of service did not infringe on his constitutional right to free speech. Although Musk reinstated Trump's account shortly after acquiring X, Trump argued in his appeal that this was not enough. Musk has claimed to be an absolutist when it comes to free speech and has ordered the restoration of many banned accounts. In November 2024, Trump's lawyers asked the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the appeal proceedings as settlement negotiations were still ongoing. Currently, the appeal is still pending.