On August 1, Trump Media officially launched Truth API, a service that will allow paying customers to have early access to the most influential accounts on the Truth Social social network, including that of President Donald Trump. Although other rival companies offer similar services, the fact that it is the president's own company raises strong doubts about the use of privileged information and the use of public office for personal benefit.

First modification: 08/04/2026 - 05:28 Last modification: 08/04/2026 - 18:46

Truth Social, the social network that was born almost as a whim of Donald Trump after being banned from Twitter in January 2021, has become an indispensable source of information since the Republican returned to the White House in 2024.

It is there that Trump usually turns to make big announcements, ranging from changes in his combative tariff policy to news about the war in Iran or proposals for truces in Ukraine or Gaza.

Their posts are important enough to shake financial markets, causing drastic price rises and falls in a matter of seconds, not to mention the impact they have on global geopolitics.

This is public information that, it is understood, should be free and accessible to everyone simultaneously. Or at least that's what was thought until now.

And, since August 1, Trump Media & Technology, the parent company of Truth Social, has enabled Truth API, a payment service that will allow Wall Street firms and institutions early access to the publications of the most influential accounts on the social network.

A controversial initiative with which Trump's media company – and the billionaire president himself – hopes to raise large profits to alleviate his financial disasters, and which raises serious questions about the exploitation of privileged information and the use of one of the most powerful public positions in the world for personal benefit.

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How does Truth Social's new payment system work?

In a brief press release issued in mid-July, Trump Media & Technology explained that the new service will allow its beneficiaries to access the publications of the accounts with the greatest influence on Truth Social before the rest.

The company's targeted clients are high-frequency traders who react quickly to news to buy and sell bonds and other financial instruments. And a few milliseconds often make the difference between wins and losses.

In the text presenting the measure, the interim executive director of Trump Media, Kevin McGurn, admitted that "the markets are already moving with Truth Social publications", which is why he expressed his desire for it to become a "significant" source of income, within the framework of a strategy to "monetize own assets."

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Although the firm has not publicly revealed the list of accounts that will be given preferential access, the Reuters agency reported that the service would cover the ten most influential profiles on the platform.

Considering aspects such as the number of followers, in addition to Donald Trump, privileged access accounts could include members of the president's family, such as his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, senior officials in his administration or conservative personalities close to the MAGA movement.

Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, Reuters assured that the company intends to charge up to $100,000 a month from each client as part of a three-year plan.

How can Trump influence market movements?

Trump's publications have notable relevance and there are plenty of examples of his influence. When he announced his widespread tariffs on April 2 last year, which he dubbed the United States' 'Liberation Day', his prior publication caused stocks to fall almost 5%, while safe-haven investments, such as gold and Treasury bonds, soared.

Sometimes, the American president's calls are much more direct, such as when, a few days later and after announcing the suspension of tariffs for 90 days, he published in capital letters that "it is a great time to buy", which translated into a 9.5% rise in the markets.

Likewise, his changing decisions about his war against Iran, often anticipated or announced on his social network, have caused oil prices to rise and fall almost instantaneously.

Aside from the firsts in his political decisions, another motivation to subscribe to the premium service is the praise that Trump has given in recent months to listed companies, which unleashes a buying euphoria.

In April, Trump singled out Palantir Technologies – the controversial data analytics company owned by Peter Thiel and Alex Karp, which has provided support for Israel's invasion of Gaza and the tracking of people for ICE anti-immigration raids in the United States – even citing its stock symbol, which triggered the biggest rise in its price in an entire year; and then he did the same with Intel, with a similar effect.

"The promotion of specific companies... Obviously, Wall Street wants to know before anyone else," Dylan Hedler-Gaudette, an expert on federal ethics standards at the Project on Government Oversight watchdog, told the AP agency, who described this scenario as "a real disaster."

"It is hateful to sell access to the highest bidder on Wall Street," Hedler-Gaudette stressed.

Who can benefit from early access to Trump's posts?

Trump's volatile personality also contributes to the speculation. Taking just the month of July, Trump threatened through Truth Social to impose higher tariffs on Canada, cancel the recent nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia and resume large-scale attacks on Iran, although he has not yet carried out any of those moves.

If they had access to the information early, at the height of prediction markets, traders betting on a depreciation of the Canadian dollar, a drop in nuclear energy stocks or a rally in oil futures could have made big profits.

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Joe Saluzzi, co-founder of the independent firm specializing in stocks Themis Trading, told AP that this "is information that influences the market" so "for large investors, it will be essential." He estimates that about a hundred companies could be willing to pay for the service.

Although Trump Media only stated that it already has subscribers, it is not clear which firms are joining the initiative.

Aside from this, those who could see their income grow are Trump himself and his media conglomerate, eager for liquidity to reverse the collapse of more than 70% in their shares since the president took office last year.

Although the Republican president has helped increase traffic on Truth Social by publishing his measures there, the parent company continues to report losses of hundreds of millions of dollars and has also been unsuccessful in diversifying into various sectors, such as cryptocurrencies, financial services and nuclear fusion.

If at least three of the six best-known high-frequency trading firms signed up for the $100,000 monthly fee, Trump Media would double its revenue, which reached $3.7 million last year.

Business opportunity or conflict of interest?

Of course, opposition politicians and experts on the subject have responded strongly to the initiative, pointing out a clear conflict of interest.

Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, described paid access to Trump's posts as "another example of blatant corruption"; His counterpart for California, Adam Schiff, assured that "it is difficult to keep up with the illicit enrichment of the president at the expense of the presidency"; while the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, wondered why there is no investigation into this movement and why "cowardly Republicans" tolerate these actions by the head of the White House.

Faced with the questions, Trump Media & Technology issued a statement harshly criticizing Democrats, accusing them of misrepresenting the service "out of ideological opposition to free markets or a failure to understand the distinction between public and private information, or possibly both."

For the Trumpian media firm, its payment model follows in the footsteps of similar fast news streaming services already carried out by other social media companies and media providers. But, the difference is that Truth Social not only distributes news, it creates it, based on its unparalleled access to the president's publications.

The company has defended itself by ensuring that the information will be published simultaneously for operators and the general public, so there would not be a problem of impartiality. However, Saluzzi, a critic of high-frequency trading, dismissed that argument, pointing out that what matters is when posts are received, not when they are published.

"Whoever buys the information and has a system to process it will be able to act faster than any of us," Saluzzi stressed.

Craig Holman, a lobbyist for the group Public Citizen, warned the AP that "no doubt" the president could use the platform more frequently to announce policies if it allows his company to add profits to reverse its losses.

For Kathleen Clark, an expert in government ethics standards at the University of Washington School of Law, this is "one more example of blatant corruption" because "Trump can get rich by selling access."

Meanwhile, Irene Aldridge, director of the firm Able Alpha Trading, which does not plan to acquire the service, said that if Trump were "the CEO of a public company," this would be grounds for "severe punishment."

Could Trump or his company face an investigation?

If the configuration of Congress flips in the midterm elections and passes to Democratic control, Truth Social could face investigations.

This was promised by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who said: "We will hold those responsible for this blatant corruption accountable to the American people."

However, on a legal level, nothing prevents Trump from going ahead with this service. Clark explains that the president and vice president are excluded from the provision that, under conflict of interest laws, prohibits US government officials from owning a company that profits from their position by selling access to their decisions through public statements.

However, since this rule was approved, all leaders have acted as if it applied to them, selling shares, getting rid of business interests or placing their financial assets in a blind trust so as not to know what was bought and sold in their name while they exercised power.

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Trump has refused to take any of those actions and has often rejected that there is a conflict between acting in the public interest and taking a chance to profit from being president. Thus, it is not surprising that his assets have skyrocketed in the first year of his second term, with an increase of around $1.4 billion, according to financial statements released by the United States Office of Government Ethics.

With AP, Reuters and media

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