---
title: "Lawsuit against Trump: Paid access to official presidential statements violates the US Constitution"
description: "🚨 **Lawsuit against Trump: Paid access to presidential posts violates the Constitution** The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation have sued Donald Trump and his company Trump Media. The plaintiffs argue that selling paid API access to the President's official statements on the Truth Social network violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution. 💰 **The essence of the conflict:** The company sells access to posts with a delay of milliseconds for $60–100 thousand per month. The main clients are high-frequency traders. ⚖️ **Plaintiffs' position:** Official statements of the President are the property of the USA, not a private company. Selective restriction of access to them is illegal. 📉 **Congress reaction:** Senators Warren and Schiff called this a \"shocking abuse\" and urged the SEC to check the scheme for market manipulation. #Trump #TruthSocial #USPolitics #SEC #LegalNews"
date: 2026-08-12T22:16:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/lawsuit-against-trump-paid-access-to-posts-violates-constitution
tags: [donald-trump, truth-social, us-politics, freedom-of-press, sec-investigation, first-amendment, high-frequency-trading]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Lawsuit against Trump: Paid access to official presidential statements violates the US Constitution

![Donald Trump reading an official statement, which became the subject of a lawsuit over paid access to presidential documents](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/12/isk-protiv-trampa-platnyy-dostup-k-postam-narushaet-konstitutsiyu/isk-protiv-trampa-platnyy-dostup-k-postam-narushaet-konstitutsiyu-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a lawsuit against Trump for selling paid access to his posts.
- Plaintiffs argue that the scheme violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution.
- Trump Media sells API access to traders for $60-100 thousand per month.
- Democratic senators are demanding that the SEC check the legality of the scheme for market manipulation.

A new constitutional crisis is unfolding in Washington, linked to the activities of Donald Trump and his media empire. On August 12, 2026, it was reported that a lawsuit has been filed questioning the legality of commercializing access to official statements by the head of state. The core of the conflict is that Trump Media, which owns the social network Truth Social, began selling privileged access to its APIs, allowing clients to receive the President's posts in real-time.

### Technological discrimination and violation of rights

The lawsuit was filed jointly by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The plaintiffs argue that selling priority access to the President's official statements violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the US Constitution. The basis of the claims is that Trump Media began selling direct access to the Truth API, which ensures an information retrieval delay within milliseconds. While information is available instantly for paying clients, there is an indefinite delay for ordinary users and independent journalists.

According to the company, more than 10 deals for the use of this API have already been concluded. The main clients are companies engaged in high-frequency trading in financial markets. The cost of such a privilege ranges from $60,000 to $100,000 per month. The plaintiffs' lawyers, in particular Nickel Sus from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, emphasize that even a minimal delay in access to information capable of influencing the country's economy is a violation of the principle of equal access to government information.

### The question of ownership of official statements

The central legal issue in the case is determining who owns the President's official statements. The plaintiffs cite the Presidential Records Act, asserting that official documents and statements concerning the performance of the duties of the head of state are the property of the United States, not the private company Trump Media. Consequently, the state cannot delegate the right to selectively restrict access to this information to a private commercial entity.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation states that such a scheme creates insurmountable obstacles to the collection and analysis of the President's publications. The Intercept, in turn, points out that the delay in access puts them in an unequal competitive position compared to paying clients who have the ability to publish news faster and react to events. This creates a situation where the right to timely inform society becomes a commodity.

### Reaction of legislators and threat to markets

The situation has caused serious concern in the US Congress. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff have previously appealed to federal regulators, calling the sale of early access a "shocking abuse of office." They urged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to check whether such a scheme violates federal securities laws.

Senators argue their position by stating that Trump's publications often contain information capable of instantly affecting stock market quotes. Early access to such statements gives Wall Street companies and high-frequency traders an unfair advantage, which could be considered insider trading or market manipulation. The court must determine whether the commercial difference in access to information turns into a constitutional violation.

### Contradictory data

There is a discrepancy in assessments of the scale of the impact of this scheme on the President's own financial activities. On the one hand, CNN reports that Donald Trump, while in office, bought stocks from various companies more than 40 times a few days before publicly praising them on his social networks, which led to a rise in stock prices. This creates a precedent of personal financial gain from the use of the platform. On the other hand, Trump Media positions the sale of the API as a purely technical service to ensure the stability of the platform's operation and does not link it directly to the President's investment decisions. The plaintiffs insist on the existence of a conflict of interest, while the defense may argue that these are independent commercial operations.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Trump sued over sale of access to Truth Social posts](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260812-trump-sued-over-sale-of-access-to-truth-social-posts) - Подтверждает подачу иска The Intercept и Фондом свободы печати, а также детали о продаже API и цитаты сенаторов.
- [Trump sued over service that offers paid early access to Truth Social posts](https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/trump-sued-over-service-that-offers-paid-early-access-to-truth-social-posts/ar-AA29YHFo) - Подтверждает детали о задержке в миллисекунды, стоимости подписки и аргументах истцов о Первой поправке.
- [Trump’s sale of access to Truth Social raises eyebrows](https://www.msn.com/en-my/money/general/trump-s-sale-of-access-to-truth-social-raises-eyebrows/ar-AA29pfTz) - Подтверждает детали о задержке в миллисекунды, стоимости подписки и аргументах истцов о Первой поправке.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why was a lawsuit filed against Donald Trump?
**A:** The lawsuit was filed because the company Trump Media is selling paid access to the President's official statements on the Truth Social social network, which the plaintiffs consider a violation of the Constitution.

### Q: Who is suing Trump?
**A:** The lawsuit was filed jointly by the publication The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

### Q: How much does access to Trump's posts cost?
**A:** According to data, companies pay from 60 to 100 thousand dollars a month for privileged access to the API.

### Q: What do the senators say about this scheme?
**A:** Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff called this a "shocking abuse of office" and urged the SEC to check the legality.