Donald Trump has been sued over an arrangement involving Trump Media & Technology that gives Truth Social early access to his posts, with the plaintiffs seeking to end the paid Truth API service and alleging that the arrangement violates constitutional protections.
Trump Media launched the subscription service earlier this month, charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month for faster access to Trump’s posts. Truth Social gets those posts first, with a six-hour exclusive window on updates covering tariffs, war and government actions.
Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Intercept are plaintiffs in the case. They allege that the arrangement breaches two parts of the Constitution: the First Amendment right to access a president’s comments on equal terms with other members of the press and public, and the Fifth Amendment prohibitions on imposing unreasonable conditions for government benefits.
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York. In addition to Trump, it names his deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino and executive assistant Natalie J. Harp as defendants.
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, characterised the sale of priority access to information generated by a president for the benefit of a company he controls as corrupt and unconstitutional.
Trump Media has disputed the challenge. It said selling fast access to traders is common in its industry and argued that the plaintiffs are trying to use the courts to censor Trump and harm shareholders. The company also said information from Trump is distributed through numerous platforms and news organisations, many of which offer subscription APIs.
The requested relief creates a direct commercial risk for the paid service because the plaintiffs want both Truth API and the broader exclusive-access arrangement to end. That challenge comes as publicly traded Trump Media loses hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter. Its stock has dropped below $10 from $62 shortly after going public two years ago.
The dispute also sits within broader scrutiny of Trump’s commercial interests. Earlier this year, a required annual financial disclosure showed that he took in more than a $1 billion last year from new crypto businesses regulated by his administration.
Trump’s digital finance company, World Liberty Financial, received a $500 million investment from a company tied to the government of the United Arab Emirates. It also sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Trump meme coins to buyers described as including fans and possible federal favour seekers.
Trump Media could lose the paid service if the plaintiffs succeed. Truth API would end, as would the agreement giving Truth Social six hours of exclusive access to Trump’s posts.
