Trump Media pitched $100,000 monthly fee for fast feed of president’s posts

Trump Media Pitches High-Cost Data Feed for Presidential Posts

Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) has discussed charging traders and investors as much as US$100,000 a month for accelerated access to posts by US President Donald Trump on the Truth Social platform, according to a report from the Financial Times on July 17.

The company is targeting high-frequency traders who rely on milliseconds to execute trades in bonds, stocks, and interest rates. On July 16, TMTG unveiled a licensed data feed called Truth API, also referred to as Truth PSI. A company spokesperson stated the product will deliver posts from the 10 most influential accounts to customers significantly faster than standard push notifications.

CEO Kevin McGurn said he expects the service to become a meaningful source of revenue as the company seeks to monetize proprietary assets. TMTG expects to launch the service next month and has already signed up customers, though the company did not specify the exact size of the new business venture.

Market Impact and Presidential Influence

Posts from the president have historically caused immediate volatility in global markets. Donald Trump currently has 12.9 million followers on Truth Social, the highest on the platform.

Examples of this market volatility include:

• April 2: Trump posted It's Liberation Day in America hours before a formal announcement regarding sweeping tariffs, causing stocks to plunge nearly 5% over several hours while gold and Treasury bonds rose.
• April 9, 2025: Wall Street indexes turned sharply higher after Trump posted that he would pause many new tariffs for 90 days, writing, THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! Stocks soared 9.5% that day, adding $4 trillion to investor wealth by the S&P 500 index.
• June 24: Oil prices plunged instantly after Trump posted, THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! regarding a short-lived deal with Iran.

Beyond economics, the president has used the platform to announce staff changes, immigration crackdowns, and positions on conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

Ethics and Legal Controversy

The move has drawn criticism from ethics experts. Dylan Hedler-Gaudette of the Project on Government Oversight called the practice of selling access to the highest bidders on Wall Street odious, noting that everything the president says has market implications.

Kathleen Clark, an expert in government ethics rules at Washington University School of Law, described the move as brazen corruption, arguing that Trump can line his pockets by selling access.

Clark noted that while conflict of interest laws generally bar government officials from owning companies that profit from their office, the president and vice president are excluded from these provisions. Despite this, most presidents since the law's inception have used blind trusts or sold holdings to avoid such conflicts—a practice Trump has refused.

The White House referred inquiries regarding the president profiting from his office to TMTG. The Trump Organization declined to comment. Trump has repeatedly denied conflicts between his public duties and his financial opportunities, and the White House has previously stated the president is not involved in his family business.

Financial Context of TMTG

The push into data licensing follows significant financial struggles for the parent company. TMTG stock has fallen about 27% this year and has plunged more than 70% since the president took office last year. The stock closed at $40 before the president took office; it recently traded at $9.66.

The company has attempted to diversify into nuclear fusion, financial services, and crypto, but these moves have not halted the stock's decline. TMTG also recently replaced its longtime CEO, former Congressman Devin Nunes, with McGurn.

According to regulatory filings, the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, overseen by his children, holds roughly 114.75 million shares, which is about 41% of all outstanding stock in TMTG.

TMTG did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters or emailed questions regarding whether the president's own posts would be excluded from the offering.