The Intercept sues Trump over Truth Social’s $100,000 early access feed

The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation sued President Donald Trump on Wednesday over Truth Social’s Truth API service, arguing that selling faster access to the president’s public statements violates the First and Fifth Amendments.

The plaintiffs, represented by CREW and Yale Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, are asking a federal court to block Trump and White House employees from participating in the service.

Truth API gives paying customers faster access to posts from Trump and other prominent Truth Social accounts. Trump Media launched the service on August 1 after announcing it in July, targeting financial institutions and trading firms interested in potentially market moving posts.

Contracts for the service range from about $60,000 to $100,000 per month, according to Trump Media interim CEO Kevin McGurn. More than ten customers, primarily high frequency trading firms, have subscribed to the feed.

The lawsuit argues that providing paying subscribers preferential access to official presidential announcements violates the First Amendment by denying equal access to public information. It also claims the arrangement violates the Fifth Amendment by imposing an unreasonable financial condition on access to government information.

Trump has increasingly used Truth Social to announce government decisions involving areas including trade and foreign policy, making the timing of his posts potentially significant for financial markets.

Reuters previously reported that Truth API was designed to provide subscribers with the fastest available feed from a group of influential Truth Social accounts.

The plaintiffs also pointed to Trump’s financial interest in Trump Media, arguing that the service allows the company to generate revenue from accelerated access to statements made by Trump in his capacity as president.

The lawsuit asks the court to prevent Trump and White House employees from continuing to provide preferential access to official announcements through the paid service.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.