Trump Sued Over Paid Access to Truth Social Posts

President Donald Trump is facing a federal lawsuit over a paid subscription service that gives customers faster access to his posts on Truth Social.

The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed the lawsuit Wednesday, arguing that Trump and his White House social media team violated their First and Fifth Amendment rights by restricting access to the president’s posts.

Trump Media, which owns Truth Social, began selling access to its application programming interface, known as Truth API, last quarter. The service provides subscribers with real-time access to Trump’s posts, potentially allowing them to see the messages milliseconds before they become available to the general public.

Trump Media said it has signed more than 10 customers, most of them high-frequency trading firms. Those companies are reportedly paying between $60,000 and $100,000 per month for the service.

The plaintiffs argue that even a delay of milliseconds can amount to an unconstitutional restriction because Trump frequently uses Truth Social to announce policy decisions, executive orders, personnel changes and other significant developments.

The lawsuit also raises questions about whether Trump's official statements can be treated as private company data. The plaintiffs argue that presidential communications may be subject to the Presidential Records Act.

Legal experts say the case could raise new questions about the First Amendment right to receive information and whether the government can provide preferential access to public information through a private company.

The lawsuit follows calls from Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff for federal regulators to investigate whether the Truth API arrangement complies with federal securities laws.

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