Trump faces lawsuit over paid access to Truth Social posts

US President Donald Trump’s paid subscription system for instant access to his Truth Social posts is facing a federal lawsuit, with plaintiffs arguing that selectively restricting access to the president’s official statements is unconstitutional, CNN reports.

The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed the lawsuit against Trump and his White House social media team on August 12, accusing them of limiting their access to the president’s posts on Truth Social. The plaintiffs allege that Trump violated their rights under the First and Fifth Amendments.

The American leader regularly uses his company’s social media platform to announce policy decisions, executive orders, personnel changes and declarations of war.

Trump Media, the owner of Truth Social, began offering direct access to its application programming interface (API) last quarter. Under the service, subscribers receive real-time access to Trump’s posts and can see them within milliseconds of publication. However, it remains unclear how much later the president’s posts become available to the general public.

During its first-ever earnings call with analysts, Trump Media said it had reached agreements with more than 10 customers for access to Truth API, most of them high-frequency trading firms. The company said those customers are prepared to pay between $60,000 and $100,000 per month for preferential access.

Trump is by far the most followed and active user on Truth Social, a platform with relatively few active users that has never reported a profit.

Last month, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff called on federal regulators to investigate the legality of Truth API.

The lawmakers described the arrangement as a “shocking abuse of the office of the President” and urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to determine whether it violates federal securities laws.

By Jeyhun Aghazada