Paying $140,000 for Trump's SNS 'Priority'… TMTG Calls Media Lawsuit 'Left-Wing Activists!'

U.S. President Trump has been sued by media outlets over a paid service charging up to 100,000 dollars a month to provide advance access to his social media posts.

Foreign media, including the UK's BBC, reported that the American media outlet The Intercept and the non-profit organization Media Freedom Foundation filed a lawsuit against Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the operator of Truth Social, in a New York federal court.

They argued that selling priority access to the president's messages raises serious concerns, describing it as "abnormal, corrupt, and unconstitutional."

Earlier, TMTG launched "Truth API," a service allowing paid subscribers who pay a subscription fee equivalent to about 140 million won in South Korean currency to check Truth Social posts 1/1,000th of a second faster, earlier this month.

President Trump, who has approximately 13 million followers, uses Truth Social to announce major policy decisions that can impact markets, such as tariffs, trade, and diplomacy. He even announces most developments related to the Iran war, which can affect international oil prices, via Truth Social.

The suing media outlets argued that this system provides an unfair advantage to those with financial resources while creating a setup where sensitive market information reaches paid customers first.

It is reported that more than 10 companies are currently paying this fee to gain rapid access to Truth Social posts.

In response, TMTG countered that "after President Trump was unfairly forced off media platforms, Truth Social was established as an uncancelable sanctuary for free expression," claiming that the lawsuit was brought by left-wing activists seeking to censor the president.

(Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Kim Minji | Graphics by Yang Hyemin | Produced by SBS Digital News | Video source: BBC, CNBC)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.