A new report says the court has ordered US President Donald Trump and his political aide, Natalie Harp, to respond to the Truth Social lawsuit before the midterm elections. The lawsuit centers on a $100,000-a-month subscription Trump announced for early access to his posts on the platform. The President is highly active on the platform, known for constantly sharing rants and other updates.
Judge ordered Donald Trump and Natalie Harp to respond before midterms, claims report
According to a recent Newsweek report, a judge has asked Donald Trump and his aide, Natalie Harp, to respond to the Truth Social lawsuit. US District Court Judge Paul Oetken wants the duo to respond by October 30, before the November midterm elections.
In July, Trump’s media company announced it is launching a subscription service on the Truth Social platform, where users would have to pay a fee for early access to his posts. They launched the “Truth API, a new business-to-business data feed that provides licensed, real-time access to posts from the highest-ranking Truth Social accounts.”
The service charges users around $60,000 to $100,000 a month for real-time access to Trump’s posts, the platform’s highest-profile user.
In September, watchdog groups American Oversight and Campaign for Accountability sued Trump and Harp over the costly service, alleging the “textbook pay-to-play” scheme sells crucial information to the highest-paying subscriber. Their concerns grew because Trump uses Truth Social to share key policy changes and other market-moving news.
In a press release, American Oversight Executive Director Chioma Chukwu alleged, “The President is selling Wall Street faster access to official government announcements and lining his own pockets in the process. Like so much of his agenda, this scheme is built to benefit the wealthy and well-connected while the rest of us are pushed to the back of the line.”
