Truth Social's $100,000 monthly priority feed tests US disclosure law
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President Donald Trump's social media company charges select clients up to $100,000 a month for priority access to his Truth Social posts. The Truth API service, announced July 16, promises real-time delivery of posts from Trump and other high-ranking accounts to paying users. Jessica Tillipman of George Washington University Law School said such a paywall for presidential communications was unimaginable a few years ago.
Key Facts
- Truth API was announced on July 16 to provide real-time access to posts from the highest-ranking Truth Social accounts.
- Trump owns the largest stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth Social's parent company, through a revocable trust of which he is the sole beneficiary.
- Twitter banned Trump in the final days of his first term after the January 6, 2021 Capitol storm, citing a risk of incitement of violence.
- A Boston Globe report counted 2,417 Trump tweets in the first 11 months of his first term.
- Trump Media interim CEO Kevin McGurn said in a release that markets already move on Truth Social posts.
Truth API Service
Trump Media announced Truth API on July 16 to provide real-time access to posts from the highest-ranking Truth Social accounts. The service charges select clients up to $100,000 per month for priority access to Trump's official announcements and other market-moving government news. Interim CEO Kevin McGurn said in a release that markets already move on Truth Social posts. The API is designed to deliver posts more quickly to paying customers and avoid the cost of a delay in information.
Legal and Ethics Scrutiny
Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law studies at George Washington University Law School, asked whether anyone envisioned a head of state doing something like this. The $100,000 monthly service gives paying clients an obvious dollar value in getting a jump on government news such as Trump's posts about new tariffs and military actions. Just a few years ago, such a paywall for presidential communications would have been unimaginable.
Platform Control and History
In his first presidential term, Trump became the most prolific Twitter poster in presidential history. A Boston Globe report counted 2,417 Trump tweets in the first 11 months. Twitter banned Trump in the final days of that term, citing a risk of incitement of violence after the January 6, 2021 Capitol storm. Facebook and Instagram also blocked Trump's accounts. Trump then migrated to Truth Social, a platform he controls through his stake in Trump Media & Technology Group.
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Truth Social's $100,000 monthly priority feed tests US disclosure law
