Joe Rogan frowns and looks downwards while standing in the Oval Office

Joe Rogan attends an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in April 2026.Allison Robbert/Pool Via Cnp/CNP/ZUMA Press Wire

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“He’s just on a grab!”

Joe Rogan is not exactly the paragon of good sense. So you know things are bad when even he is outraged about Trump’s latest moneymaking scheme. The president introduced a new Truth Social feature this month that sells early access to his posts to subscribers willing to shell out up to $100,000 a month. 

Trump has used his social platform as an official White House channel to unveil major policy initiatives, deliver updates on Iran ceasefire negotiations, and fire government officials. With access to those announcements before they go out to the general public, subscribers can turn to the betting markets to get a return on their investment. 

The feature violates the First and Fifth Amendments, a lawsuit filed against Trump alleged this week. It also may amount to insider trading and market manipulation. 

Watch the gears turn… ever so slowly… when Rogan learns about the scheme from comedian Shane Gillis during the Aug. 13 episode of his podcast.

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I'm hopeful because of readers like you. Will you pitch in today?

We see the headlines on a weekly basis: the claw backs in public media, the gutting of The Washington Post, the bending over backwards to appeal to Trump and his allies.

But not here.

When Mother Jones started publishing 50 years ago, our founders made a critical decision: to be a reader-supported nonprofit. They knew that no corporate owner would be interested in a muckraking newsroom; they also knew that no muckraking newsroom would be interested in following the agenda of a corporate owner.

And so, we’ve been reader-funded for half a century. We rely on contributions from our readers—readers like you—whether it’s $50, or $15 a month, or whatever fits your budget. People give what they can, and every donation makes a difference for our newsroom, which has grown tremendously—in size and reach and renown—since its inception in 1976.

You may be wondering: What does it take to publish an investigation? And what does my donation actually fund? The answers are one and the same: It takes people, resources, and time. And that’s what your donation funds directly.

Every donation Mother Jones receives from readers fortifies our newsroom, whether we’re covering underreported scandals out of Washington, DC, or the most important news of the day. And right now, each donation will be doubled thanks to a $50,000 match. So when you make a donation, it’ll go twice as far.

Your support keeps us going. If you’re able, donate today.

Thanks for reading.

—Monika Bauerlein, CEO

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