President Donald Trump and White House aide Natalie Harp face a lawsuit concerning a $100,000-a-month subscriber program on Truth Social. This program offers paying users early access to official government posts. Watchdog groups American Oversight and Campaign for Accountability filed the lawsuit on September 17. They allege the program violates the public’s right to equal and timely access to government information and breaches the First and Fifth Amendments, along with federal law. Newsweek reached out to both the White House and Trump Media & Technology Group via email outside regular hours.
What Is Truth API?
The Truth API program, launched on August 1, provides subscribers with instant access to posts from several prominent Truth Social accounts, many linked to government officials. Subscriptions start at $100,000 monthly, reducing to $60,000 monthly with a three-year commitment.
API stands for “application programming interface,” which allows software systems to communicate and share data. Truth API delivers a direct, real-time stream of posts from selected accounts to its subscribers. These accounts include those of Trump, the White House, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and FBI Director Kash Patel. The lawsuit also names these officials, along with various federal agencies and White House offices.
Natalie Harp is listed as a defendant due to her reported role as the main White House staffer assisting Trump with posting on his Truth Social account.
‘Market-Moving’ Information
The lawsuit highlights that Trump and other officials frequently use Truth Social for major announcements. Examples include Trump’s January message on a military strike against Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro, along with updates on the Iran conflict and other policy changes. Kevin McGurn, interim CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group, stated in July that financial markets often react to Truth Social posts, predicting Truth API will become a significant and consistent revenue source.
The lawsuit argues the Trump Administration’s postings on Truth Social can significantly impact the global economy. It suggests that Truth API subscribers, who receive information before public access, could financially benefit from their early awareness of Trump Administration announcements.
McGurn mentioned to CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in late August that Truth API subscribers numbered in the “mid-teens.” Depending on the subscription tier, revenue could exceed $1 million monthly. This surpasses the company’s first-quarter earnings for 2026, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit notes that Trump and other officials hold financial stakes in the company. Truth API’s revenue potential incentivizes Trump to make the service appealing by providing advance access to impactful policy announcements. The lawsuit points out that Trump transferred his shares in Trump Media & Technology Group to the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust before his second term, making it the largest shareholder with 41.4 percent ownership. These shares are valued over $1 billion, with Trump as the trust’s sole beneficiary.