The U.S.-based Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) has recently announced plans to launch a new paid commercial service called "Truth PSI." This service is designed to sell priority access to content from "high-weight" accounts on its platform, including posts from former U.S. President Donald Trump himself, to Wall Street high-frequency trading firms. This move, which involves directly converting the influence of the presidential office into commercial gain, has sparked widespread debate within U.S. legal circles and the media.
According to TMTG's announcement, the service is scheduled to commence next month. Paying institutional investors would gain access to an interface allowing them to receive posts from Trump and other core accounts several milliseconds ahead of regular users. Wall Street high-frequency trading firms commonly use algorithms for automated trading, where millisecond-level advantages can be decisive for profit opportunities in stock, bond, and foreign exchange markets.
During his presidency, Trump frequently used the "Truth Social" platform, in which he holds a controlling stake, to issue major policy statements on topics such as foreign affairs, tariffs, immigration, and military decisions. His remarks have often triggered significant volatility in global financial markets. Previously, his comments on tariff policies and Middle East situations have repeatedly caused sharp, rapid declines or surges in related asset prices.
This commercial plan has drawn external criticism for creating a serious conflict of interest. Kathleen Clark, a legal ethics expert at the Washington University School of Law, stated that this practice of linking official government actions to commercial profit is tantamount to "selling privileged access." Critics argue that a president providing a "temporal information advantage" to specific investors through control of a social media platform constitutes an improper use of governmental power. Although some legal experts note that current U.S. conflict-of-interest statutes contain exemption clauses for the president and vice president, this action deviates from the usual financial information isolation and blind trust practices adopted by U.S. presidents, raising broad public concern about the commercialization of political power.
Analysis suggests TMTG's move aims to reverse the company's financial decline. Data indicates that since Trump took office, TMTG's stock price has fallen significantly, with its market capitalization shrinking substantially. Company management is attempting to open new revenue streams by monetizing proprietary platform assets to improve performance. However, this strategy of attempting to "bridge" capital markets and political power is subjecting the company to intensified ethical scrutiny.
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