Lawsuit Filed Against Trump's Truth Social Over Paid Early Access Service Calling It "Unprecedented Corruption"

A lawsuit was filed on the 12th (local time) seeking to ban a paid service offered by Truth Social, the social media platform of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Bloomberg and AFP reported that U.S. media outlet The Intercept and the non-profit organization Media Freedom Foundation filed the lawsuit against Trump Media & Technology Group, the operator of Truth Social, at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

They claimed that Trump Media selling a service to view President Trump's posts on Truth Social more quickly is "unprecedented, corrupt, and unconstitutional."

In the complaint, they pointed out that "the president can financially benefit by providing 'market-moving' government information to those willing and able to pay his private company."

They asked the court to declare unconstitutional and ban the practice of exclusively posting government information on Truth Social, arguing that it violates equal access to the president's public statements guaranteed by the Constitution.

Earlier this month, Trump Media launched "Truth API," a service that allows paying subscribers who pay up to $100,000 per month (approx. 140 million KRW) to see Truth Social posts a fraction of a millisecond faster.

President Trump is the largest shareholder of Trump Media, and his 41% stake in the company (worth $1 billion) is held in a trust managed by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

President Trump, who has about 13 million followers, uses Truth Social to announce major policy decisions that can affect markets, such as tariffs, trade, and diplomacy.

Most announcements regarding the Iran war, which could impact global oil prices, are also made via Truth Social.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.