Lawsuit Filed Against Trump Over Truth Social Subscriber Program

Lawsuit Details

President Donald Trump and White House aide Natalie Harp are the subjects of a lawsuit regarding a high-cost Truth Social subscriber program. This program provides paying users with early access to official government posts. American Oversight and Campaign for Accountability filed the lawsuit on September 17. They claim that this scheme denies the public equal and timely access to government information, violating the First and Fifth Amendments and federal law.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, via email.

About Truth API

The “Truth API” program, launched on August 1, offers subscribers real-time access to posts from various high-profile Truth Social accounts. Many of these accounts belong to government officials. Subscriptions are available at $100,000 per month, or $60,000 per month with a three-year commitment.

API stands for “application programming interface.” It facilitates communication and data exchange between software systems. The Truth API grants subscribers a direct feed of posts from selected Truth Social accounts, including Trump, the White House, and several other officials.

The lawsuit names these officials, along with federal agencies and White House offices. Natalie Harp is identified as a defendant due to her role in aiding Trump’s Truth Social activities.

Impact of Truth Social Posts

The complaint highlights Trump’s and other officials’ frequent use of Truth Social for major policy announcements. It mentions Trump’s announcement in January about a strike against Venezuela and the capture of its leader, Nicolás Maduro. Posts about updates on the war in Iran and personnel changes are also cited.

Kevin McGurn, interim CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, stated that Truth Social posts can affect markets. He predicted that the Truth API could generate substantial revenue for the company. The complaint argues that this information can have consequences for the global economy.

Truth API subscribers could profit from early access to potentially market-moving information. McGurn mentioned that the number of subscribers was in the “mid-teens.” Depending on the subscription tier, revenue may exceed $1 million monthly.

Financial Interests and Shares

The lawsuit notes Trump and several officials hold financial interests in Trump Media & Technology Group. Truth API provides a potential revenue stream, offering Trump an incentive to deliver early policy announcements. Trump transferred his shares to the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust before his second term. This trust is Trump Media’s largest shareholder, owning about 41.4 percent. The shares are valued at over $1 billion, and Trump is the trust’s sole beneficiary.

Edward Pearcey is the Newsweek editor for this story.