The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a federal lawsuit on August 12, 2026, seeking to block Trump Media & Technology Group's new Truth API service. The service charges subscribers up to $100,000 monthly for millisecond-level early access to posts from President Donald Trump and other top administration officials. The plaintiffs argue the service is a corrupt and unconstitutional scheme that violates the First and Fifth Amendments by allowing Trump to personally profit from selling market-moving government announcements. Trump Media dismissed the lawsuit as a politically motivated attempt to censor the president.
Truth API lawsuit
▪The lawsuit over the Truth Social service names as defendants Donald Trump, Natalie Harp, Dan Scavino, the Executive Office of the President, and the White House Office.
▪The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump on August 12, 2026, in New York federal court over a paid Truth Social service.
Truth API service details
▪The Truth API service, unveiled by Trump Media & Technology Group in mid-July 2026, delivers posts from Donald Trump and other high-profile accounts to subscribers in milliseconds.
▪The Truth API service provides subscribers with faster access to posts from the 10 most popular Truth Social accounts, including Donald Trump, JD Vance, Kash Patel, and Robert Kennedy.
▪Trump Media & Technology Group CEO Kevin McGurn stated on August 10, 2026, that the company had signed more than 10 customer agreements for Truth API, generally priced between $60,000 and $100,000 monthly.
Constitutional violations alleged
▪The plaintiffs argue that selling priority access to Donald Trump's messages is unconstitutional because he uses the platform to announce major, market-moving government policy and military decisions.
▪The lawsuit alleges that the Truth API service violates the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by charging unreasonable sums for preferential access to public announcements.
Ethical corruption claims
▪The lawsuit asserts that Donald Trump's Truth Social posts are the only way to obtain certain official government news, as they often lack corresponding White House announcements.
▪The lawsuit describes the Truth API service as a corrupt scheme that allows Donald Trump to profit personally by selling market-moving government information to wealthy subscribers.
Trump Media financial interests
▪The lawsuit notes that Donald Trump stands to gain financially from Truth API subscriptions purchased by financial news outlets, high-frequency trading firms, and other businesses.
▪Donald Trump holds a 41% stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, worth over $1 billion, through a revocable trust of which he is the sole beneficiary.
Company response to lawsuit
▪A Trump Media & Technology Group spokesperson responded to the lawsuit by calling the plaintiffs left-wing activists attempting to weaponize the courts to censor Donald Trump.
▪Trump Media & Technology Group defended the Truth API service as a standard subscription API similar to those offered by other platforms and news outlets.
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