Two US media organisations have sued President Donald Trump over a controversial plan that allows paying customers to receive his Truth Social posts before they are made available to the general public.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in New York by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, described the initiative as “extraordinary, corrupt and unconstitutional.”
Under the paid service, known as Truth API, subscribers can reportedly receive near-instant access to Trump’s posts on Truth Social, potentially giving them crucial seconds of advance notice before the messages reach ordinary users.
Trump frequently uses Truth Social to announce major policy decisions and developments, including statements on the Iran war and US trade tariffs. Such posts have the potential to influence financial markets.
According to the lawsuit, access to the service can cost as much as $100,000 per month, while customers who commit to a three-year subscription can reportedly pay $60,000 per month.
The plaintiffs argued that the arrangement creates an improper financial benefit for Trump by allowing paying customers to receive potentially market-moving information from a sitting president ahead of the wider public.
“The President stands to gain financially by giving ‘market-moving’ government information to those who are willing and able to pay his personal company,” the court filing alleged.
Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, has rejected concerns surrounding the service. Truth API was unveiled in July as a product designed to provide rapid access to posts published on the platform.
The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation said the service could interfere with their ability to monitor and report on Trump’s statements in a timely manner.
The organisations argued that quick access to the president’s posts is essential to their work and asked the court to declare Truth API unlawful and prevent the service from being used for future posts.
The legal action comes amid growing calls from Democratic lawmakers for the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the service. The SEC is responsible for regulating US financial markets.
Trump Media’s interim chief executive officer, Kevin McGurn, said earlier this week that Truth API had already begun generating revenue, with 10 customer agreements signed. He did not disclose the identities of the customers.
The Wall Street Journal reported that trading firms were among the first companies to subscribe to the service.
The controversy also comes as Trump Media reported a sharp increase in losses for the second quarter of 2026. The company said the decline was linked partly to falling values of its digital assets.
Meanwhile, Forbes estimated that Trump’s net worth had increased from about $2.3 billion to $6.5 billion since 2024, when he defeated Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.
