Trump Faces Lawsuit Over Truth Social’s Paid Service

President Trump has been sued in federal court to block his Truth Social company from offering a new paid service that provides early access to his posts on U.S. policy. The lawsuit claims this service violates constitutional principles by not making official announcements simultaneously available to everyone.

This subscription service, which started earlier this month, charges Wall Street firms up to $100,000 monthly for early market-moving posts on policies like war and tariffs. Seth Stern from the Freedom of the Press Foundation commented, asserting that selling priority access to presidential news for a private company controlled by Trump is corrupt and goes against constitutional norms.

“A president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional that it would have been hard to even fathom a few years ago,” Stern stated.

Trump Media & Technology, Truth Social’s parent company, defended the service by highlighting that fast access to information is a norm in the industry, accusing the plaintiffs of attempting to censor the president through legal means.

Truth Social’s early access service aligns with the company’s financial struggles, as Trump Media has reported significant losses and a steep drop in stock value since going public.

The lawsuit alleges the service breaches the First Amendment’s right to equal access to presidential comments and the Fifth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable conditions for governmental benefits. It requests the termination of the Truth API, which offers lightning-fast access and criticizes Trump Media’s agreement allowing Truth Social exclusive access to his posts for six hours before public dissemination.

Trump Media’s financial relationship with Trump is underscored as he holds over 40% of its shares through a trust. Concerns over potential conflicts of interest were echoed by ethics groups, comparing Trump’s activities on Truth Social to other controversial ventures like crypto trading.

Additional business dealings like those with World Liberty Financial, which secured a significant investment from UAE-related sources and sold special Trump coins, have drawn scrutiny. These coins were purchased by figures seeking federal favors, including a billionaire involved in a federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed in New York also names Trump’s deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino and executive assistant Natalie J. Harp as co-defendants.