Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on Iran War, Teleprompter betting and Trump's pricey social media subscription

Donald Trump has opened a subscription service on his social media platform Truth Social. 

The subscription, which allows users to view Trump's posts faster, would cost $100,000 USD per month. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that the platform is offering a limited time special - which would reduce the price to $60,000 with a three-year subscription. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Arnold.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
Morning to you, Hey, Michael. So it seems all back on,
didn't it. Yeah, the war has taken a tough turn,
hasn't it worth? The first US combat desks in four
months since the start of this thing. As the fight
seems to be escalating day by day, two American troops
killed by an Iranian strike and Jordan another person still missing.
So is this edging towards a wider war? Yet again?

(00:21):
The White House sent out Chris Wright, the Energy Secretary,
to respond to the latest challenges. He says, of what
some now I calling Trump's forever.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
War, Yes, this mission will go on until the mission
is done.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
It is a growing challenge. Back in March, it was
that same Energy secretary who said the war would be
over with quickly.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
I think that this conflict will certainly come to the
end in the next few weeks.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well it's now almost five months worth little sign of
any real diplomacy. Secretary right now saying we're pivoted to
what the US is responding to Iran's missiles and drones
with anti missiles that costs around two and a half
million bucks apiece for drones that were bought for maybe
fifty thousand dollars each. Democratic Senator Mark Wardham, who is

(01:03):
on the Intelligence Committee, says Trump also turned his back
on an eight offer from Ukraine.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
President Zelensky the only country that has devised the technique
of counter Iranian drones at five thousand dollars, They've done
it so effectively. They offered us all of that technology
for free, and the Trump White House basically said to
the Ukrainians, thanks.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
But no thanks well. Q eight and I was accusing
the Run of targeting civilian sites. They say one of
their power and water plans has been struck a couple
of times in two days. Qwaight relies on desalinated water
for about ninety percent of their drinking water, so they
are vulnerable to this sort of attack from Iran. The
US has responded with a strike on an Iranian nuclear
power plant under construction. There was no nuclear material at

(01:47):
that site when inspectors from the IAEA visited some time back,
but the UN's nuclear watchdog is calling for restraint. However,
today comes word that the Pentagon is sending more warplanes
to the region from Britain and Germany, suggesting to the AY
further escalation is more likely. Explain to me, Richard, how
you sell your social media posts to traders? And you
are the president and there isn't a series of lawyers

(02:09):
looking to tell me somewhere. This is the latest and
profiting from the presidency Trump's social media platform, Truth Social
Now is looking to provide early access to his social
media posts for big money. For am easily one hundred
thousand bucks US per month. You you could be the
first to know what Trump will say. And there's also
a daily special just for now. Don't let this opportunity

(02:30):
slip by, folks. You can get that monthly right down
to sixty thousand dollars US if you sign up for
at least three years. Such a deal such corruptions is
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
This is the president saying, give me a cut, and
I'll give you the opportunity to make money off my statements,
just as I make money off my own state.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Critics note that his stock advisors have invested in stocks
who share prices have been blistered by White House announcements
along the way, Trump saying he's not involved in any
of those investments. But Trump's financial report the other week
showed his money managers made an eye popping twenty one
thousand securities trades in six months. Some of those trades
came in stocks directly affected by Trump policy announcements. For instance,

(03:10):
when Trump announced the computer company in Video would build
supercomputers in this country, his advisors had bought hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of in Video stock just before
that announcement. Trump's financial disclosures showed, as we spoke at
the time, that he'd made some two billion dollars during
the start of his second term, much of it in crypto. Meantime,
there is the revelation this week that Trump's teleprompter officer

(03:32):
Gabriel Peirez made over one hundred thousand dollars by betting
on the prediction market calshier as to what Trump is
going to say in big speeches that Perez already had
seen if you can count that, Trump will read what's
on the della prompter right. Perez made his last trade
back in March and is on indefinite leave as settlement
talks take place. Trump's piad Carolyn Leavitt, says, of this.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
There are very strict ethical guidelines here at the White
House that explicitly state not to do this.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Is with this teleprompter guy's disclosure. The President was shocked, shocked,
I tell you he.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Believes it's deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
A disgrace. However, he was caught back in March, continued
to operate on the job as teleprompter official until now,
as the media just publicized what has happened meantime to
the important stuff. Got a family member married to a Spaniard,
So go you mal all right? See Wednesday richardld Stdsathia
for more from the Mic Asking Breakfast. Listen live to
news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow

(04:32):
the podcast on iHeartRadio