Trump Media proposes $100,000 monthly fee for premium Truth Social data feed

Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the owner of the Truth Social platform, has discussed charging investment firms up to $100,000 per month for a premium data feed that would provide the quickest access to posts from the ten most influential accounts on the service. The company also presented a discounted option of $60,000 per month for firms that commit to a three-year contract, according to sources familiar with the confidential negotiations.

The service, called the "Truth API," is slated to launch on August 1 and will include real-time coverage of influential posts as well as an archive dating back to 2022. TMTG said it has already signed up customers, though it did not disclose their identities.

Democratic senators have voiced concerns about the arrangement. > "It would financially benefit the Trump family and make Wall Street traders rich," said Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. > "It is an egregious scheme to profit off the presidency and enrich Wall Street while doing nothing to help Americans," added Senator Elizabeth Warren, the leading Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee.

Critics, including the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, argue that the deal raises ethical questions because it could allow the president’s posts to be monetized for personal gain. The group’s president, Donald Sherman, said the arrangement is "wildly unethical" and noted that existing emoluments and securities regulations may not directly address this type of paying-for-access model.

TMTG’s shares have fallen about 27% this year, closing at $9.66 on Friday and giving the company a market value of roughly $2.7 billion. The company declined to comment when approached for comment on the pricing proposals.