Trump's Truth Social to Charge $1.7 Billion for Premium Access, Sparking Ethics Outcry

Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the company behind Truth Social, is reportedly offering a premium data feed that provides high-speed access to Donald Trump’s social media posts for a fee of up to US$100,000 (approximately Rp1.7 billion) per month. The company has discussed the pricing with Wall Street traders and investment firms, also offering a discounted rate of US$60,000 per month for a three-year subscription. The service, named Truth API, was introduced on Thursday and is designed to give paying clients real-time access to posts from the platform’s most influential accounts, including Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and prominent supporters like Dan Bongino and Sean Hannity. The move marks TMTG’s first venture into data licensing, capitalising on the market-moving potential of Trump’s social media activity, as demonstrated when Wall Street indices surged following his announcement of a tariff delay on 9 April 2025.

The initiative has provoked fierce backlash from Democratic lawmakers. Senator Ron Wyden condemned the plan as a blatant effort to profit from the presidency, while Senator Elizabeth Warren labelled it an ‘outrageous scheme’ that enriches the president and Wall Street at the public’s expense. Donald Sherman, president of the nonpartisan watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, described the arrangement as ‘profoundly unethical’, noting that it allows the president to personally benefit from payments for expedited access to his communications. However, he added that it remains unclear whether the scheme violates any specific laws based on currently available public information. TMTG has not officially disclosed the pricing structure but confirmed the Truth API will launch on 1 August and has already secured subscribers.