Trump Media Sued Over Truth Social’s $100,000 Monthly Early Access Feed

President Donald Trump faces a federal lawsuit challenging Truth Social’s paid early-access service, which charges customers up to $100,000 monthly for faster delivery of potentially market-moving posts from government officials.

Lawsuit Challenges Truth Social Early-Access Feed

The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The complaint names Trump and seeks to prevent him and White House employees from participating in Truth API, a paid data service operated through Truth Social.

Truth API provides subscribers with faster access to posts from Trump and other selected Truth Social accounts. Trump Media launched the service on August 1 after announcing the product in July, with financial institutions and trading firms among its target customers.

Subscription contracts range from about $60,000 to $100,000 per month, based on comments from Trump Media interim CEO Kevin McGurn. More than 10 customers, mainly high-frequency trading firms, have subscribed to the service since its launch.

Plaintiffs Raise First and Fifth Amendment Claims

The lawsuit claims the arrangement violates the First Amendment by giving paying customers preferential access to presidential statements that may contain official government announcements. The plaintiffs argue that members of the public and news organizations should receive equal access to those statements.

The complaint also raises a Fifth Amendment claim, arguing that the government cannot impose an unreasonable financial condition on access to a public benefit. The court has not ruled on either constitutional claim, and the allegations remain subject to the legal process.

“Nothing could be more antithetical to the free, independent press than the president charging for early access to his public announcements,” The Intercept Chief Legal Officer David Bralow said.

Trump has regularly used Truth Social to communicate decisions covering trade, foreign policy, government appointments and other federal matters. Some of those announcements can affect financial markets, making the timing of their release valuable to trading firms seeking faster information.

Trump Media Ownership Becomes Part of Legal Dispute

The plaintiffs also cited Trump’s financial interest in Trump Media as part of their complaint. The Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust holds about 41.43% of Trump Media shares, while Trump is the trust’s sole beneficiary. The holding has been valued at more than $1 billion.

Trump Media launched Truth Social in 2022 after Trump founded the company in 2021. The platform has since become one of the president’s main channels for communicating directly with the public.

The lawsuit asks the federal court to prevent Trump and White House employees from providing paid subscribers with preferential access to official announcements through Truth API. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, the Public Integrity Project and Altshuler Berzon LLP.

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