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The president holds up a printed-out Truth Social post on Air Force One. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

'Trump is the Picasso of corruption': Media sues the president for selling $100,000 fast passes to his social posts — he's sold at least 10 so far

Rinna Diamantakos
Aug 13, 2026
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President Donald Trump is being sued by two media organizations over a new Truth Social service that critics say could turn access to his potentially market-moving posts into a paid-for privilege.

The service, called Truth API, offers subscribers faster access to posts from Trump and the platform’s other high-profile and costs as much as $100,000 a month.

Media alleges constitutional violations

The lawsuit was filed by The Intercept, a news organization, and the nonprofit Freedom of the Press Foundation. The groups allege the service violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by giving subscribers preferential access to Trump’s public announcements.

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It also argues Trump’s Truth Social posts often move financial markets since he uses the platform to make announcements about policy, military actions and other government decisions.

The president has used Truth Social in the past to post sensitive information, including posts on tariffs and the war with Iran, which have triggered market reactions.

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“This scheme is profoundly corrupt,” the lawsuit says. “The President stands to gain financially by giving ‘market-moving’ government information to those who are willing and able to pay his personal company.”

According to the suit, since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has published between 9,000 and 11,000 posts on Truth Social. The suit also claims many of Trump’s posts have no immediate corresponding announcement for the White House, leaving Truth Social the sole source for official government news.

“In some ways, Trump is the Picasso of corruption,” Brendan Ballou, CEO of the Public Integrity Project and representative for the media group, told NPR. “He comes up with schemes that just wouldn’t occur to you or I, and the Truth Social one is an example of that.”

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Trump’s Truth API Offer

The service was announced in July by Trump Media, the parent company behind Truth Social. The president is currently the largest shareholder in the media company.

According to the suit, Truth API currently provides subscribers faster access to 10 accounts on the platform, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, as well as the White House Press Secretary, Transportation Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretary and the White House.

CNBC reported that during an earnings call on Monday, Trump Media CEO Kevin McGurn said Truth API “provides machine-readable feeds of publicly available Truth posts from the platform’s top accounts in milliseconds.”

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He has previously promoted the service as a way to give businesses premium access to the platform’s “most market-moving truths.”

The company says more than 10 customers have signed up for Trump API and the price tag on those agreements ranges from $60,000 to $100,000 per month. According to the complaint, the subscribers include financial news outlets and high-frequency trading firms. McGurn says the next phase of Truth API will be wider spread distribution.

Trump Media defends Truth API

According to NPR, a spokesperson for Trump Media said monetizing social media platforms is common among tech companies and that the president’s posts are spread publicly by other platforms and news outlets. The statement also said Trump founded the platform as “an uncancellable haven for free speech.”

The Trump Media & Technology Group did not reply to Moneywise’s request for comment in time for publication.

In addition to Trump, the suit also names the president’s executive assistant and the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, who are both known to post on Truth Social on behalf of Trump.

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Rinna Diamantakos Contributing Editor

Rinna Diamantakos is a contributing editor at Moneywise.com. A versatile journalist, she has experience as a writer, editor and producer. Her work has focused on politics, business and financial news.

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