Trump Media plans paid real-time access to Trump's Truth Social posts

The Truth API service is meant to provide "licensed real-time access to posts from the highest-reach Truth Social accounts." It is intended to give banks and trading firms faster information about posts from the ten most influential users than other readers. The announcement itself, however, does not yet name a specific price.

According to the FT, the new offering is aimed primarily at stock traders and financial news providers that depend on fractions of a second for breaking news. Interim TMTG chief Kevin McGurn said the Truth API delivers a direct, licensed real-time feed of the platform's most market-moving 'Truths' and at the same time advances our strategy of monetising proprietary assets through a high-margin, recurring revenue source.

Market relevance of Trump's posts

McGurn also pointed out that markets already react to posts on Truth Social. Trump's announcements on Truth Social have significantly influenced global markets in the past. For example, the major indices on Wall Street rose sharply on 9 April 2025 after Trump announced in a post a 90-day suspension of many of his new tariffs.

Trump's posts have repeatedly caused both stock prices and commodity prices to rise or fall significantly. Trump publishes posts on Truth Social almost daily, regularly generating headlines worldwide. His account is by far the largest on the platform; according to available statistics, Trump has nearly 13 million followers there.

Current usage figures for Truth Social are not publicly available, however. It is also unclear how many of the accounts on the platform are actually active. Truth Social has existed since early 2022 and is technically built on Mastodon's source code, without being connected to Mastodon.

Ownership structure and criticism

Trump has given up control of Trump Media & Technology Group for the duration of his term in office. Donald Trump Jr. administers, as trustee, the trust that holds Trump's TMTG shares. Critics have repeatedly accused the 80-year-old Trump of using his presidency for personal financial gain.

The planned API interface is to include a paid real-time feed of posts from the largest accounts. The launch of the new paid offering is scheduled for 1 August. TMTG has so far provided no information on how much API access will cost specifically.

With the product, Trump wants to monetise his online posts. The TMTG strategy aims to convert proprietary content into a high-margin, recurring revenue source. Industry observers see this as an attempt to translate the platform's market influence directly into revenue.

Strategic positioning of the offering

The move comes in an environment in which algorithmic trading and high-frequency trading already depend on minimal latency. Even fractions of a second can decide between profit and loss in the markets. Preferred access to posts from a single, particularly influential author would therefore be potentially valuable for certain market participants.

At the same time, the project raises questions about equal treatment of market information. Retail investors and smaller news agencies would still have to make do with the regular, public view of the platform. Whether and to what extent regulators will examine the planned premium access is currently open.

TMTG had publicly announced the data feed one day before the "Financial Times" report. The company promoted the service as a direct, licensed real-time feed of the most market-moving posts. Industry insiders view this as an attempt to convert the platform's news value into its own business model.

Regulatory and competitive questions

Trump himself has not publicly commented on the planned premium access so far. There was also initially no statement from the White House. In its announcement, TMTG pointed primarily to the strategic benefit for professional market participants.

The market for market data and news feeds has been contested for years. Providers such as Bloomberg, Refinitiv or specialised news services charge high fees for real-time access to prices and news. With the Truth API, TMTG would move into this segment and position itself as a provider of a particularly politically sensitive information source.

Observers also see in the project a shift in the relationship between politics and financial markets. When individual social media posts from an officeholder become a tradable product, the speed at which political statements translate into prices changes. This could further increase volatility in the markets.

Outlook

Regardless, it remains open how great the actual willingness of professional users to pay for accelerated access to Trump's posts will be. The success of the Truth API will also depend on whether the platform can maintain or expand its reach and activity in the coming months. Current usage figures that could answer this question are not publicly available.