Federal lawsuit exposes Trump administration's brazen profiteering from presidential posts on Truth Social
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Press freedom advocates accuse the Trump administration of trampling the First Amendment by selling privileged access to presidential messages on Truth Social, fueling a federal lawsuit in New York.
A federal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York lays bare the Trump administration’s shameless disregard for constitutional norms, accusing it of violating the First Amendment by selling advance access to posts on the Truth Social platform before they become public. The lawsuit, spearheaded by the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Intercept and backed by legal teams from CREW, Yale Law School, the Public Integrity Project, and Altshuler Berzon LLC, contends that this corrupt scheme allows the president to personally profit from government information meant for the public good.
The complaint underscores that the First Amendment guarantees equal access to presidential announcements, and any restrictions must be narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest—an interest glaringly absent in this case. It further points to Department of Justice policy, which explicitly prohibits exploiting official positions for personal gain, a principle the Trump administration appears to have flouted.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, brazenly announced a 'Truth API' service, offering early access to presidential messages for up to $100,000 per month, with at least ten customers reportedly buying into this pay-to-play scheme. The president himself holds a 41% stake in the company, conveniently placed in a trust controlled by his son, raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has previously claimed that posts on Truth Social come directly from the president and reflect the administration’s policies, but the White House has refused to comment on the lawsuit, evading accountability.
Public Integrity Project CEO Brendan Ballou condemned the effort to monetize public statements, calling it “about as blatant as a constitutional violation can get.” Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff have called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether the company is also violating securities laws, denouncing the practice as a flagrant abuse of presidential power.