Donald Trump’s Truth Social just became the most expensive social media subscription. A federal lawsuit now challenges whether the president can charge Wall Street firms up to $100,000 monthly for faster access to his posts.
Donald Trump is being sued over fast access to Truth Social
The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, CNN reports. The plaintiffs claim Trump violated their First and Fifth Amendment rights. They argue his paid Truth Social API subscription unconstitutionally restricts access to presidential statements.
Trump Media began selling direct API access last quarter. The company charges subscribers between $60,000 and $100,000 monthly for real-time access to Trump’s posts. High-frequency trading firms make up most of the more than 10 customer agreements signed so far.
Nikhel Sus, chief counsel for Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington, represents the plaintiffs. He told CNN that even brief delays raise constitutional concerns. “There’s no de minimis exception for restrictions on fundamental First Amendment rights,” Sus said. He also argued the posts belong to the public. “The president’s official statements are not the private data of a company but are owned by the United States under the Presidential Records Act,” Sus stated.
Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute, echoed those concerns. “There’s no legitimate government interest in doing this,” Fallow said. “Donald Trump and his company may have an interest, but not the government.”
The plaintiffs also raised Fifth Amendment concerns about due process and equal protection. Sus argued the arrangement creates arbitrary access barriers. “The president and his aides are selectively making available statements solely based on the willingness to pay his private company,” he said.
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff last month urged federal regulators to investigate the arrangement. They called it a “shocking abuse of the office of the President” in a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins.
