\nUnited States President Donald Trump\u2019s social media company is reportedly considering charging a $100,00 monthly fee for priority access to his social media posts.
\nBut that prospect has raised major ethical concerns, with critics denouncing the idea as a barrier to government transparency \u2014 and a means for Trump to profit from the presidency.
\nThe news agency Reuters indicated on Friday that Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the website Truth Social, has discussed charging financial traders and firms a steep fee for early access to Trump\u2019s posts.
\nA lower-tier fee of $60,000 a month was also reportedly discussed for firms that sign up for a three-year plan.
\nThe British newspaper The Financial Times also reported similar details.
\nAs president of one of the world\u2019s largest economies, Trump has the power to move markets with his statements. Economists say his remarks on social media \u2014 about new policies like tariffs or international conflicts \u2014 can spur changes in global financial prospects.
\nBut pushback to the Truth Social fee proposal was swift. Trump has long garnered criticism for leveraging the power of his office for personal benefit, and ethics experts characterised any fee as a threat to the functioning of US democracy.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s selling expedited, privileged access to information about what he is doing as president,\u201d said Kathleen Clark, an expert in conflict-of-interest rules at Washington University School of Law.
\nShe told The Associated Press news agency, \u201cIt\u2019s yet more brazen corruption, an improper exploitation of government power to enrich himself.\u201d
\nTrump has made frequent use of social media during his time in office. During his first term, he was an avid user on the social media platform Twitter, now X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
United States President Donald Trump\u2019s social media company is reportedly considering charging a $100,00 monthly fee for priority access to his social media posts. But that prospect has raised major ethical concerns, with critics denouncing the idea as a barrier to government transparency \u2014 and a means for Trump to profit from the presidency. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-557091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n