Trump Accused of Profiteering from $100,000-a-Month Truth Social Early-Access Scheme
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A lawsuit in New York exposes how Trump and his inner circle allegedly exploit their positions to sell privileged access to presidential posts on Truth Social, raising serious corruption and constitutional red flags.
A federal lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York shines a harsh light on President Donald Trump and his aides, accusing them of shamelessly selling early access to posts on the Truth Social platform for up to $100,000 a month. The complaint, brought by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, targets the so-called 'Truth API' data feed, launched by Trump Media & Technology Group on August 1. This service gives wealthy subscribers privileged, faster access to posts from Trump and other senior officials, including the vice president and press secretary—effectively creating a two-tiered system of information access.
Subscribers, who can afford to pay $100,000 a month or $60,000 a month with a three-year commitment, receive an archive of posts dating back to 2022, including content that was later deleted or altered. The plaintiffs argue that this arrangement allows Trump—who holds a staggering $1 billion stake in Trump Media—to personally profit from information generated in his official capacity, a blatant conflict of interest that could amount to market manipulation.
Interim chief executive Kevin McGurn brazenly described the 'high-margin' product as a 'meaningful, ongoing source of revenue,' openly admitting that the service is designed to give businesses fast access to the platform's 'most market-moving' posts. This pay-to-play scheme further entrenches the power of the wealthy and well-connected, while ordinary citizens are left in the dark.
Democratic senators have called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether this service unfairly benefits insiders at the expense of regular investors. The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that the arrangement is unlawful and demands that the administration be barred from using Truth Social as the exclusive venue for official announcements while selling preferential access—a necessary step to prevent further erosion of democratic norms and public trust.