Trump Media Charges Traders Up to $100,000 a Month for Faster Delivery of the President's Posts

Trump Media sells trading firms a faster, machine-readable feed of the President's posts. Management reported more than ten customer agreements, mainly with high-frequency traders, at $60,000 to $100,000 a month. Trump's trust owns 41% of the company and he is its sole beneficiary, so the President holds a direct financial interest in a business that sells faster delivery of his own announcements. DOJ acknowledges an agreement under which Trump commits, with exceptions, to post first on Truth Social. The federal complaint says he can bypass its six-hour exclusivity period for government and political posts, but alleges that he has not regularly used that option since returning to office.

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Trump Media announced Truth API on July 16, 2026, and launched it on August 1, pitching trading firms on the premise that posts on its platform move markets. California's complaint says a launch-day post in which Trump called off a strike on Iran led to a 5% decline in benchmark oil futures prices. By August 10 the feed was earning what management called modest revenue. The feed covers the ten top Truth Social accounts, including the President and other senior government figures, according to DOJ; the company's launch announcement also says it includes an archive of posts dating back to 2022.

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The Intercept says it cannot afford Truth API and will not finance the business of the President it covers. Stephanie Sugars of the Freedom of the Press Foundation says Trump Media publicly accused the foundation of violating its terms, apparently through archiving, which threatens a tracker she has spent about 850 hours maintaining. California's complaint alleges that the service puts ordinary investors, including retirement savers, at a disadvantage.

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Trump Media says the public feed gets each post first and customers pay for faster delivery; the Justice Department calls the service private commercial conduct. The plaintiffs' preliminary-injunction request would bar Trump and the other defendants from posting his announcements on Truth Social while Truth API covers them, unless the same content is freely available before or at the same time. Judge J. Paul Oetken pressed both sides at an October 7 hearing and reserved a written decision. Turning presidential communications into revenue for a business in which the President retains a financial interest is self-dealing.

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