U.S. President Donald Trump has been sued in federal court over a new paid service on his Truth Social platform that gives subscribers early access to his posts concerning U.S. government policy.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Southern District of New York, argues that the service creates an unconstitutional system in which financial institutions can pay for access to potentially market-moving information before it becomes available to the wider public and press.<\/p>\n
The service, known as Truth API, reportedly offers subscribers access to Trump’s posts milliseconds before they are distributed through the ordinary Truth Social platform. Wall Street firms can reportedly pay as much as $100,000 a month for the service.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs include the Freedom of the Press Foundation and news outlet The Intercept.<\/p>\n
They argue that Trump’s posts can address issues including wars, tariffs and other government policies capable of affecting financial markets. According to the lawsuit, official government information should not be sold to selected private entities on preferential terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cA president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional,\u201d said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs allege that the arrangement violates the First Amendment, arguing that journalists and members of the public should have equal access to presidential statements.<\/p>\n
They also invoke the Fifth Amendment, claiming the administration cannot impose unreasonable conditions on access to government information.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit seeks an order requiring Trump Media & Technology Group to terminate the Truth API service. It also asks the court to prevent Trump from posting official government information exclusively on Truth Social.<\/p>\n
Trump Media, which operates Truth Social, rejected the allegations and accused the plaintiffs of attempting to suppress the president.<\/p>\n
The company said fast-access information services are common in the technology and financial industries and argued that Trump’s information is already distributed through numerous platforms and news organizations.<\/p>\n
Trump remains the largest shareholder in Trump Media & Technology Group, holding more than 40% of the company’s shares through a trust.<\/p>\n
The controversy comes as Trump Media has faced significant financial challenges, with the company’s stock trading substantially below its post-public-listing peak.<\/p>\n
The company has increasingly pursued businesses beyond social media, including digital-asset ventures.<\/p>\n
Trump’s use of Truth Social to communicate directly with the public has previously attracted scrutiny from ethics advocates, who have questioned whether presidential communications can simultaneously serve as a source of private commercial revenue.<\/p>\n
Under an existing arrangement, Truth Social has six hours of exclusive access to Trump’s posts before he can distribute them elsewhere, a provision the latest lawsuit also appears to challenge.<\/p>\n
The dispute is particularly significant because Trump’s posts can influence financial markets when they concern international conflicts, tariffs, trade policy and other major economic decisions.<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs argue that giving selected traders access ahead of the broader public could create an unfair informational advantage.<\/p>\n
Trump Media, however, maintains that the service is a legitimate commercial product and says the legal challenge is politically motivated.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit also names Trump’s deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino and executive assistant Natalie J. Harp as defendants.<\/p>\n
The case is expected to test the boundaries between presidential communications, private business interests, freedom of the press and equal public access to government information.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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