Nonprofit News Groups Challenge Trump’s Elitist Truth Social API That Sells Early Access to Presidential Posts
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The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation have filed a lawsuit against Trump Media, accusing the company of undermining democracy by selling privileged, early access to presidential announcements to Wall Street elites, in violation of constitutional rights.
A federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, brought by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, exposes how Trump Media & Technology Group’s new 'Truth API' is commodifying democracy by selling real-time access to posts from President Donald Trump and other top Truth Social users. The plaintiffs reveal that this service, which charges up to $100,000 a month, is primarily marketed to high-frequency trading firms, giving financial elites a low-latency, machine-readable feed of presidential announcements that can sway markets before the public even has a chance to see them.
The complaint denounces the exclusive posting of official government information on Truth Social, and the monetization of early access through the API, as an unconstitutional affront to the public’s right to equal access to presidential statements. It points to the First Amendment’s promise of equal access to public information and the Fifth Amendment’s protection against exploitative charges for government benefits.
'The First Amendment guarantees equal access to the President’s public announcements, and even content-neutral burdens on that access must be narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest,' the lawsuit states, highlighting the dangers of paywalls around vital public information.
The suit seeks an injunction to stop the president and his aides from posting official government information exclusively on Truth Social while the exploitative paid API remains active. Named defendants include Trump’s executive assistant Natalie Harp, deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino, the Executive Office of the President, and the White House Office.
Trump Media, which reported a mere $1.7 million in revenue but a staggering net loss of $238.1 million for the second quarter, is led by interim CEO Kevin McGurn. He boasts that the company has signed over ten customers—mostly trading firms paying $60,000 to $100,000 per month—further entrenching the interests of Wall Street over the public good. McGurn also revealed plans to target cloud-computing companies, major news organizations, and developers of large-language models, with the eventual goal of selling the API to retail investors, expanding the commodification of public information.
The plaintiffs argue that the API will also restrict access to archived posts, forcing users to pay to retrieve deleted or edited content that should be freely available. This practice, they say, harms nonprofit news outlets by delaying or denying access to presidential statements essential for public accountability and robust reporting.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment, remaining silent as the public’s right to information is auctioned off to the highest bidder.