Media outlets sue Trump over Truth Social restrictions

The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a federal lawsuit in New York against US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, seeking to block Truth Social’s paid access to his posts, Al Jazeera reported.

The complaint names Trump in an official capacity, along with White House aide Natalie Harp and Deputy Chief of Staff Daniel Scavino. Court filings argue that the subscription service would restrict access to matters of public interest and violate the First Amendment’s implicit guarantees of "equal access to the President’s public announcements".

The complaint also says the service would violate Fifth Amendment protections by charging arbitrary sums for access to government information. "This scheme is profoundly corrupt," the complaint says. "The president stands to gain financially by giving ‘market-moving’ government information to those who are willing and able to pay his personal company."

The lawsuit centres on Truth API, a Trump Media and Technology Group product announced in July and launched on August 1. According to the complaint, the service charges subscribers between $60,000 and $100,000 a month for real-time access to posts from Trump and other prominent Truth Social accounts, and more than 10 customers had subscribed by an August 10 earnings call.

Al Jazeera reported that critics say Trump uses Truth Social to announce policy changes that could affect the economy, including comments on the US-Israel war on Iran that have sent ripples through global oil markets. Trump holds the largest stake in Trump Media and Technology Group, worth roughly $1bn, down from about $4bn when it was placed in a trust in early 2025, according to the report.

"Trump is trying to enrich himself by privatizing government information that he has no right to sell," said Ben Muessig, editor-in-chief of The Intercept. "We won’t let it stand." Trump Media said presidential communications already flow through "countless platforms and news outlets, many of which offer subscription APIs"; the White House had not commented, and the case is set to be heard in federal court for the Southern District of New York.