US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social business started selling fast access to his social media posts on Saturday, August 2nd, 2026, offering Wall Street traders sneak peeks of his updates for a fee. This move has sparked an ethics controversy, with critics questioning the legality and propriety of the arrangement given Trump’s position as president.

Truth Social’s early access service allows traders to receive posts before they are publicly available. While similar fast feeds exist in the media industry, Truth Social differs by not only distributing news but also creating it—Trump’s posts often influence markets by announcing policy changes on issues ranging from war to central bank leadership and tariffs.

Irene Aldridge, head of Able Alpha Trading, condemned the practice, stating, “If this was the CEO of a public company, this would be jail time. 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.” Able Alpha Trading has declined to purchase the service.

Trump’s press office declined to comment on whether White House lawyers reviewed the service, directing inquiries to Truth Social’s publicly traded parent company, Trump Media & Technology. The company responded by accusing Democratic critics of mischaracterizing the service due to ideological opposition or misunderstanding the distinction between public and non-public information.

Trump’s prolific posting has previously caused significant market fluctuations in stocks, bonds, and currencies, creating lucrative opportunities for high-frequency traders who capitalize on rapid price changes within milliseconds.

Sources