Federal Lawsuit Slams Trump for Charging Six-Figure Monthly Fee for Early Access to His Posts: ‘Extraordinary, Corrupt, and Unconstitutional’
Insider trading?
Truth Social just rolled out a program that lets paying customers see the president’s posts before everyone else, and it’s already facing a federal lawsuit. The service, which costs $100,000 a month, gives traders and organizations high-speed access to posts from Donald Trump and other high-profile accounts. Nonprofit newsroom The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a complaint in New York, calling the program “extraordinary, corrupt, and unconstitutional.”
According to Politico, the lawsuit argues that the paid early access violates the First Amendment by giving wealthy subscribers an unfair advantage over the public and the press. Critics say the program amounts to insider trading, since Trump’s posts have moved markets in the past. The plaintiffs want the court to block the White House from posting official announcements exclusively on Truth Social while the paid service exists.
Truth Social’s parent company, which Trump founded in 2021 after being kicked off other platforms, says the program is just one of many ways information from the president gets distributed. A spokesperson called it an “uncancellable haven for free speech” and accused left-wing activists of trying to censor Trump again through the courts.
The White House hasn’t commented on the lawsuit
However, Democratic lawmakers are already pushing back. Senators introduced a bill this week to ban social media companies from selling early access to government employees’ accounts.
The program gives paying customers access to posts from Trump’s account, along with nine other popular accounts on Truth Social, including Vice President J.D. Vance and outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The company says the service delivers posts in “milliseconds” and is designed for organizations that need immediate, verified information.
But critics say it’s just a way for Trump to monetize his influence. The Intercept’s chief legal officer called it “antithetical to the free, independent press” to charge for early access to public announcements.
Trump’s posts on Truth Social have moved markets before. In April, oil prices plunged after he posted that he was calling off an attack on Iran. He’s also boosted specific companies by mentioning them on the platform, causing their stock prices to spike.
The lawsuit points out that Trump has published between 9,000 and 11,000 posts or reposts on Truth Social since resuming office, and many of those announcements don’t have a corresponding White House statement. That means Truth Social is often the only place to get official government news, giving the platform an outsized influence.
The plaintiffs find the competitive advantage the program gives to outlets willing to pay for early access concerning
The lawsuit argues that the service hinders efforts to catalog the president’s posts by scraping Truth Social, since the paid feed is the only way to get real-time updates. The company reported in an August earnings call that 10 customers had already signed up for the service, despite a $238 million loss in the second quarter of 2026.
Democratic lawmakers have been sounding the alarm about the program since it was announced in July. Time reports that Senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate potential insider trading and market manipulation. They argued that the service undermines the integrity of capital markets by giving Wall Street firms and wealthy insiders faster access to the president’s posts than the public or ordinary investors.
The SEC hasn’t responded to their request, but Warren has kept up the pressure. At a recent hearing, she asked witnesses if they thought selling faster access was good for market integrity. None of them raised their hands.
The lawsuit names Trump’s executive assistant Natalie Harp and deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino as defendants, along with the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office. Harp is reportedly responsible for authoring many of Trump’s posts, and Scavino has access to the president’s Truth Social account.
The plaintiffs want the court to declare the exclusive posting of official information to Truth Social unconstitutional while the paid API exists. They’re also asking for legal fees and any other relief the court deems appropriate.
‘A high-margin, recurring revenue stream for Truth Social’
Truth Social’s CEO, Kevin McGurn, said ahead of the launch that markets already move on the president’s posts, and the new service would deliver a “direct, licensed, real-time feed” of the platform’s most market-moving content. He called it a high-margin, recurring revenue stream for the company.
But the lawsuit argues that the program is just a way for Trump to profit from his official capacity. The plaintiffs say the president’s public statements should be available to everyone on equal terms, not just a wealthy few. The program has drawn comparisons to other pay-to-play schemes in politics, but this one is unique because it involves the president’s own social media platform.
Truth Social was founded as a response to Trump’s ban from other platforms, and it’s become a key part of his communication strategy. The lawsuit argues that the paid early access service turns the platform into a tool for insider trading, giving paying customers a head start on market-moving information.
The legal challenge comes as Truth Social is still struggling financially. The company reported a $238 million loss in the second quarter of 2026, and it’s unclear how much revenue the new program will generate.
(Featured image: Gage Skidmore)
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