US presidents have frequently been accused of trading government influence for unfair financial gain.
Published July 18, 2026
President Donald Trump’s social media company is reportedly considering charging a $100,000 monthly fee for priority access to the president’s social media posts.
But the prospect has raised major ethical concerns, with critics charging that the idea would impede government transparency and be a way for Trump to profit from his presidency.
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Reuters reported on Friday that Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the website Truth Social, is considering charging financial traders and companies steep fees for early access to Trump’s posts.
A lower rate of $60,000 per month was also reportedly considered for businesses that signed up for the three-year plan. British newspaper the Financial Times reported similar details.
As president of the world’s largest economy, Trump has the power to move markets with his words. Economists say his social media comments on new policies such as tariffs and international conflicts could spur changes in the global financial outlook.
But backlash to Truth Social’s fee proposal was swift. Trump has long drawn criticism for using presidential power for personal gain, and ethics experts have characterized any payoff as a threat to the functioning of American democracy.
“He’s selling himself as having quick and privileged access to information about what he’s doing as president,” said Kathleen Clark, an expert on conflict of interest rules at the University of Washington School of Law.
“This is yet another brazen act of corruption, an unwarranted exploitation of government power for personal gain,” she told The Associated Press.
Trump has frequently used social media during his time in office. During his first term, he was an avid user of the social media platform Twitter (now X).
However, several platforms suspended his account due to his false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump has responded by investing in his own media companies instead, and he owns a majority stake in Trump Media and Technology Group.
Truth Social is one of its flagship products, and President Trump has used the social media platform almost exclusively since leaving Twitter in 2021.
He frequently visits Truth Social to announce everything from attacks on Iran to changes in trade policy.
During the US-Israel war against Iran, President Trump’s social media posts frequently caused dramatic swings in global energy markets, which were hurt by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic.
The president’s social media post announcing a 90-day suspension of new tariffs on April 9, 2025 also caused a spike in financial indicators.
Trump Media and Technology Group announced Thursday that it will offer banks and trading companies a paid, licensed data feed called the Truth API, giving them privileged access to the website’s 10 most influential accounts. Among them, Trump’s account is by far the most famous.
Critics of the announcement included Democrats, including Sen. Ron Wyden, who said the announcement would “enrich Wall Street traders” along with the Trump family.
