On Monday, Trump Media's acting CEO Kevin McGern firmly defended the commercial model of the Truth API service on a business television channel, which provides companies with paid early access to Donald Trump's posts on the Truth Social platform. According to him, since its launch on August 1, the service's client base has grown to fifteen agreements, confirming the product's demand in the market.
The essence of the offering is simple: API subscribers gain the ability to track the former president's statements in real time, which is especially valuable for high-frequency traders, news agencies, and prediction platforms. However, critics point to the ethical and legal ambiguity of such a model—essentially, it allows select players to trade on an information advantage before the message becomes available to the general public.
Client Base Growth and Ambitions
McGern noted that demand for the service arose at the initiative of market participants themselves, rather than being imposed by the company. He drew a parallel with APIs that major social networks have long used to connect trading firms and media. "We're now in the middle of the second dozen, and we continue to grow," he said on air. Just two weeks ago, the company cited a figure of 10 client agreements, indicating steady momentum.
Access costs can reach $100,000 per month, and in my estimation, this is only the beginning of monetization. Given that Trump Media has already earned over $1 million since the service's launch, the revenue growth potential is significant, especially if the company expands its offering to retail platforms and services with large language models, as McGern announced.
Legal and Political Risks
However, ambitious plans have met serious resistance. A review has already been initiated in the U.S. Congress, and at least one federal lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the service. Plaintiffs argue that Trump is not entitled to sell early access to posts that "essentially belong to everyone." Trump himself owns a stake in Trump Media through a revocable trust, which formally removes him from daily operational control but does not eliminate reputational and political risks.
Ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, pressure on the company will only intensify. The question of whether the client base will hold up under legal and political pressure remains open. In my view, this is a classic case where innovative monetization collides with regulatory reality, and the outcome of this struggle will determine how far such models can go in political communication.