Trump’s paid early access to Truth Social posts launches. Here’s why officials are worried
Donald Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, is poised to offer exclusive early access to his posts, a move that has ignited concerns over market manipulation and the potential for private gain from public influence.
The service, launching Saturday, will provide Wall Street traders with sneak peeks of Trump’s online pronouncements, raising questions about ethical boundaries and fair market practices.
While similar high-speed data feeds are common among social media companies and news providers, Truth Social’s offering stands apart.
Unlike platforms that merely distribute information, President Trump’s posts frequently create news, often rattling markets with policy shifts on issues ranging from international conflicts to central bank leadership and tariffs.
The implications are stark, according to Irene Aldridge, head of Able Alpha Trading, who stated her firm has no plans to subscribe.
“If this was the CEO a public company, this would be jail time,” Aldridge remarked. She added, “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.”
When questioned about the service’s propriety and whether White House lawyers had reviewed it, President Trump’s press office declined to comment, directing inquiries to Truth Social’s publicly traded parent company.
Trump Media & Technology subsequently issued a statement, criticizing Democratic detractors for mischaracterizing the service “out of ideological opposition to free markets or a failure to grasp the distinction between public and nonpublic information — or, quite possibly, both.”
With a prolific online presence, President Trump has a history of sending stocks, bonds, and currencies soaring or plunging with his online musings and threats.
This volatility creates significant opportunities for so-called high-frequency traders, who specialize in exploiting minute, fleeting price differences through rapid buying and selling.
Recent examples highlight the potential for profit.
This month alone, President Trump has used Truth Social to threaten higher tariffs on Canada, to scuttle a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, and to expand the conflict in Iran.
Traders with advance knowledge could have reaped substantial profits by betting on a fall in the Canadian dollar, a dip in nuclear energy stocks, or a surge in oil futures.
Joe Saluzzi, co-founder of Themis Trading, estimates that approximately 100 high-frequency firms might be willing to pay for the service.
