A product launch from Trump Media & Technology Group in mid-July has sparked fierce criticism from ethics watchdogs who call the arrangement a textbook case of monetizing presidential power. The company announced “Truth PSI” — sometimes called “Truth API” — on July 17-18, 2026, offering Wall Street firms and high-frequency traders early access to President Donald Trump’s social media statements for subscription fees reaching $100,000 monthly.
The concept delivers Trump’s messages to paying clients milliseconds ahead of the general public, creating a potential trading advantage based on presidential communications. Critics immediately labeled the system “brazen corruption,” arguing that market-sensitive White House proclamations shouldn’t be available to wealthy subscribers before ordinary Americans see them.
Wars, Feuds and Grape Jelly
The commercial offering arrives as Trump’s military campaign against Iran has triggered severe economic fallout. Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — which handles roughly 20% of global oil shipments — drove crude prices up about 50% from pre-conflict levels and fueled the steepest inflation spike in three years. The war has already drained at least $30 billion from US coffers, and recent surveys indicate large numbers of voters report worsening financial conditions.
Trump’s online commentary on the crisis has drawn widespread ridicule. At 1:02 a.m. on June 1, he urged Americans to “just sit back” while events unfolded. He originally forecast the operation would last four to five weeks and issued multiple victory declarations. During May, he conceded that household budgets don’t enter his calculations, explaining his sole priority is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear capability.
His Truth Social activity has also stoked diplomatic incidents. After a G7 meeting in France, Trump revived tensions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by posting in June that she repeatedly requested a photograph with him. He memorialized the late Sen. Lindsey Graham as a “true American Patriot” and declared that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made the armed forces “hotter” than ever before.
“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert mocked Trump’s admiration for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s “iron fist” style by contrasting it with the president’s own grip: “a surgical glove full of Welch’s grape jelly.”
Old Platform, New Habits
Trump abandoned Twitter after permanent suspension following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, when the platform cited risks of additional violence incitement. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk restored the account in November 2022 following his purchase and rebranding of the service to X. Yet Trump has posted just once since Jan. 8, 2021 — sharing his Georgia mugshot on Aug. 24, 2023.
His audience remains vast on X, with more than 87 million followers, while Truth Social counts just under seven million. A comprehensive study covering Nov. 15, 2022, through March 15, 2024, tallied 760 all-caps messages, 570 direct personal attacks, and 500 posts promoting election denialism. Researchers characterized his online behavior as “isolated, vitriolic and vengeful.”
A Feed That Never Stops
The volume of content makes Truth PSI’s business model plausible, if controversial. During May, Trump published more than 55 posts across three hours, finishing at 1:13 a.m. Another May session stretched over seven hours and yielded more than 50 posts, including AI-created visuals.
The day following Fourth of July festivities saw Trump exceed 100 posts on subjects ranging from capital city redevelopment to pointed partisan criticism. A single outburst reportedly reached 105 messages. Late-night television seized on the episodes: “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert likened the torrent to “a waterfall of paranoid madness,” while “Late Night” host Seth Meyers observed that the White House tends toward “weird solutions to weird problems using weird words.”
Recent highlights include a “BOOM!” meme celebrating strikes on 80 Iranian targets, images documenting White House renovations, and a campaign showcasing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after algae removal. Trump also circulated an AI-generated clip depicting himself as a “doctor” curing figures like Robert De Niro of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” boosted far-right commentator Michael Savage — who faces a UK ban for promoting hatred — and amplified calls to deport “hardcore communist” adversaries.
Whether high-speed trading firms will commit six-figure monthly payments for fractional-second advantages on that stream of commentary is an open question. Trump Media is wagering the answer is yes.