Trump sued for selling access to his Truth Social posts; 'harms press freedom,' they allege

Media outlet The Intercept and the NGO Freedom of the Press Foundation have filed a lawsuit against former U.S. President Donald Trump, alleging that his practice of selling subscribers expedited access to his Truth Social posts harms press freedom in the United States.

The lawsuit, supported by organizations focused on press freedom and civil rights, was filed in a federal court in New York. It aims to stop Trump and White House employees from pursuing an "unconstitutional scheme" to "monetize" presidential publications on the social media platform.

Plaintiffs argue that offering preferential access to presidential communications, through a monetization plan called 'Truth API,' violates the First Amendment rights of journalists and the public to equal access to official information. They contend that Trump is personally profiting from this arrangement.

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This scheme is deeply corrupt. The president will financially benefit by providing governmental information that moves markets to those who are willing and able to pay his personal company.

The suit also invokes the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits the government from imposing extortionate or unreasonable conditions on the availability of government benefits. Seth Stern, director of activism at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, called the scheme "deeply corrupt," stating that the president would financially benefit by providing market-moving governmental information to those willing and able to pay his personal company.

Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social, recently reported a tenfold increase in losses for the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, reaching $238.1 million. Despite this, the company nearly doubled its revenue to $1.7 million and announced that Truth API has secured 10 clients, with expectations of generating recurring revenue.

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By offering preferential access to presidential missives, the monetization plan, called 'Truth API,' would violate the First Amendment rights of journalists and other members of the public regarding equal access to official information, while Trump also enriches himself.