GoKawiilFederal judge questions DOJ defense of Trump's $100K Truth Social API fee
A federal hearing examined whether President Trump can charge news organizations up to $100,000 a month for instant API access to his Truth Social posts, many of which announce government actions like military strikes or tariffs. DOJ attorney Brantley Mayers defended the fees by comparing Trump's posts to FDR's fireside chats, but US District Judge Paul Oetken pushed back, noting Roosevelt never charged for his broadcasts. News organizations suing argue the fee structure violates the First, Fifth, and Presidential Records Act protections against paid tiers of access to government information.