A judge will soon decide whether Trump can legally charge $100,000 a month for a head start on his own government announcements.
At a hearing Wednesday, a Department of Justice attorney defended the arrangement, arguing there is no conflict of interest in Trump charging companies up to $100,000 monthly for instant API access to his Truth Social posts. Those posts frequently break news from his administration before it reaches the public through official channels. Trump is the largest stakeholder and majority owner of Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social. A federal judge is expected to rule within the next few weeks.
If the judge sides with the administration, Trump would become the first sitting president to personally profit from selling early access to government information embedded in his own social posts. The DOJ's own argument underscores the issue: the product only has value because Trump is president, meaning the office itself is effectively being monetized.
Think of it as a subscription plan for democracy: pay up, or wait for everyone else to learn what the president just decided.