Trump’s Social Media Company May Charge Wall Street Big Bucks for Faster Posts

What Is Happening?

Donald Trump’s social media company has been talking with Wall Street traders and investment firms about charging them a lot of money for faster access to the U.S. president’s posts on his Truth Social platform.

• People who know about the private talks say the company discussed charging as much as $100,000 a month for this faster access.
• The company is called Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), and it owns Truth Social.
• TMTG also pitched a cheaper plan: $60,000 per month if firms agree to a three-year deal.
• These talks are confidential, so the people sharing the info stayed anonymous.

Important Point: On Thursday, TMTG officially announced a paid data feed called "Truth API" that gives banks and trading firms the fastest access to posts from the 10 most influential Truth Social accounts. They did not share prices publicly.

Why Does This Matter?

This would be TMTG’s first step into selling data access, opening a new way to make money. But Democrats immediately criticized it.

• U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (Oregon) said it would financially help the Trump family and "make Wall Street traders rich."
• The White House sent questions about Wyden’s comments to TMTG, which did not quickly respond.

Trump’s social media posts often move markets (meaning they change stock prices). Many trading firms make money based on how fast they can act.

• Example: On April 9, 2025, stock indexes jumped after Trump posted on Truth Social that he would pause many new tariffs for 90 days.
• For high-speed trading firms, being even a few milliseconds faster can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in gains.

Important Point: Access to the Truth API would be essential for these fast-trading firms because speed equals money.

Profit from Policy Announcements

TMTG has struggled to grow its media business against bigger social media companies. The new product offers:

• Round-the-clock coverage of important posts
• An archive of posts going back to 2022
• A launch date of August 1, with some customers already signed up (names not revealed)

Some of the most-followed Truth Social accounts are:

• Trump himself
• His sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump
• Supporters like Dan Bongino and Sean Hannity

The Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust holds about 114.75 million shares (41% of TMTG stock). Trump’s children oversee this trust, which manages his investments.

Critics worry Trump’s family is getting richer from policies his administration announces.

• In recent disclosures, Trump reported over $1.4 billion in income from family crypto ventures after his digital asset policies helped.
• Donald Sherman (watchdog group president) called the Truth API "wildly unethical" because the president benefits from payments for faster post access.
• However, Sherman said it’s hard to tell from public info if it’s illegal.

Why might it not be illegal?

1. The Constitution’s emoluments clauses block federal officials from taking gifts from foreign governments or states — but this case doesn’t fit.
2. Insider trading rules (no trading on secret info) wouldn’t apply if many people get early access.
3. Sherman said: "I don’t think Congress or any regulatory body ever contemplated that a president or a market-mover would engage in this kind of paying-for-access type arrangement."

Senator Elizabeth Warren called it "an egregious scheme to profit off the presidency and enrich Wall Street while doing nothing to help Americans."

Even though Trump’s kids oversee his businesses, he benefits from the trust’s income.

• TMTG shares are down 27% this year.
• They closed around $9.66 on Friday, worth about $2.7 billion total.

Summary

Trump’s TMTG may charge Wall Street up to $100,000/month (or $60,000 with a 3-year plan) for fast access to Trump’s Truth Social posts via a new "Truth API." This could create a new income stream but faces strong criticism from Democrats and ethics experts who say it’s unethical, though likely not clearly illegal. Trump’s posts move markets, so speed is valuable to traders.

FAQ

Q: What is Truth API?
A: It’s a paid data feed from TMTG that gives banks and trading firms the fastest access to posts from the 10 most influential Truth Social accounts.

Q: Why would traders pay so much for it?
A: Because Trump’s posts can change stock prices, and being milliseconds faster can earn huge profits for trading firms.

Q: Is this illegal?
A: Experts say it’s hard to prove it’s illegal. Emoluments clauses and insider trading rules likely don’t apply, but many call it unethical.

Q: How is Trump connected to the money?
A: The Trump family trust holds 41% of TMTG stock, and Trump is the beneficiary of the income, so he gains from the company’s earnings.