STORY
Donald Trump is facing fresh allegations of corruption after his media company launched a premium service offering paying customers early access to posts on his Truth Social platform. The new Truth API service is aimed at businesses and financial institutions, with subscriptions reportedly costing up to $100,000 (£75,000) a month. Critics argue that because Trump’s posts frequently contain market-moving policy announcements, the service could give wealthy subscribers a financial advantage over ordinary investors.
The controversy has prompted Democratic Senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren to call on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether the arrangement complies with securities laws and whether it creates conflicts of interest. They argue that selling faster access to information issued by a sitting President risks undermining confidence in financial markets and could allow well-funded firms to trade on policy announcements before they are widely disseminated. Trump Media has rejected the criticism, saying the service provides access to public information and is comparable to premium data products offered by other technology companies.
Ethics experts have also questioned whether a President should be able to profit from the commercial distribution of official or market-sensitive communications. Trump’s supporters have defended the initiative as a legitimate commercial product, while opponents argue it blurs the distinction between public office and private financial interests. The launch has intensified scrutiny of Trump’s business activities during his presidency and is expected to remain the subject of political and regulatory debate in the coming weeks.