President Donald Trump's media company has begun selling early access to his social media posts, a move that critics say could blur ethical lines and even amount to insider trading.
Trump Media & Technology, the parent company of Truth Social, launched the paid subscription service on Saturday, offering traders and other subscribers the ability to see posts from the site's most prominent accounts milliseconds before they appear publicly. The service reportedly costs up to $100,000 per month, with a lower-priced option available at $60,000.
The BBC and France 24 both reported that the service does not specifically name Trump's account, but noted that his is the most popular on the platform, with more than 13 million followers.
"US President Donald Trump knows the world hangs on his every word. Now he wants you to pay for it," wrote France 24, echoing a sentiment also carried by the South China Morning Post.
The move raises questions about whether Trump is using public office for private gain, and whether giving privileged access to market-moving information could constitute insider trading.
"If this was the CEO of a public company, this would be jail time," said Irene Aldridge, head of Able Alpha Trading, which does not plan to buy the service. "We have a president of the United States who has the front seat to all the action, who makes all the decisions, and he's disclosing this ahead of time to a select group."
The White House press office declined to comment on whether the service had been vetted by lawyers, directing questions to Truth Social's publicly traded parent. In a statement, Trump Media & Technology blasted Democratic critics for mischaracterising the service "out of ideological opposition to free markets or a failure to grasp the distinction between public and non-public information – or, quite possibly, both."
Similar fast-speed feeds are sold by other social media firms and media providers, but Truth Social does not merely distribute news – it makes it, regularly rattling markets as Trump posts policy changes on everything from war to central bank leadership to tariffs.
Trump's prolific use of the platform has sent stocks, bonds and currencies soaring and plunging, creating opportunities for high-frequency traders that specialise in buying and selling on rapid information.
Some reports noted that stock in the Truth Social parent has plunged 75 percent since Trump took office, though that figure was not confirmed by all sources.
The service is also expected to include posts from other high-ranking Truth Social contributors, according to one report.