Trump Mobile drops false 'made in America' promise

AppleInsider

The T1 "Trump" Phone won't launch in time to fight the iPhone 17 release, and more than a week after debut, claims of the device being made in America have been scrubbed from the website.

Photoshop of what the T1 Phone might look like. Image source: Trump Mobile

The so-called "Trump Phone" was announced by the Trump Organization on the 10th anniversary of Donald Trump announcing he was running for president. It is being marketed alongside Trump Mobile, a T-Mobile-powered MVNO, and was originally called a smartphone that is "made in America."

It was quickly proven that the T1 Phone was not only not made in America, it was likely a re-skin of the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, a $169 smartphone that's made in China and that has faced recalls.

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The embarrassment continues as the Trump Mobile website has removed all mentions of "made in America." Instead, it is now filled with unspecific platitudes like "proudly American" and "American hands behind every device."

Some of the specs have been altered too, showing a smaller 6.25-inch display and no mention of RAM where it previously suggested 128GB. There's still a photoshopped image instead of a real photo of the device, so there's no telling what it actually looks like.

It is still priced at $500, which is more than double the device was very clearly previously based on. The Trump Mobile plan of $47.45 per month remains nearly twice as expensive as other MVNO plans with the same rates.

Trump in name only, apparently

The initial press tour from Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump was light on details, but "made in America" turned into "eventually" pretty quickly, with the Trump children stating it was an aspirational goal. The press release is still up where it mentions "made in America."

There is now a disclaimer that the T1 Phone and Trump Mobile are both paid licenses and not actually a part of the Trump Organization.

There's been some debate about the President's involvement with the smartphone beyond the use of his name, slogans, love of gold, and other references. He hasn't spoken publicly about it, though he did recently suggest that he doesn't "believe in telephones."

Q: What can you do in Washington that you couldn't do in Canada?

TRUMP: Just be a little bit, ah, I think more well-versed. Not having to use telephones so much, because I don't believe in telephones, because people like you listen to them.

[image or embed]

-- Aaron Rupar (

@atrupar.com) Jun 17, 2025 at 11:34 AM

Even though the phone and mobile plan are using the Trump name through a license, that remains profitable for the Trump Organization. President Trump isn't directly in charge, but his sons are.

However, President Trump is still in control of the trust and has the ability to make decisions that affect the company.

In spite of the clear lies around the product, the doubling of prices for junk hardware and middling cellular services, it will prove popular to the Trump devout. However, the unspecific delays in shipping the device could be a bad sign that the T1 Phone may eventually be abandoned as a project.

In any case, if there was any danger of Apple losing iPhone sales to the hoards of Trump supporters willing to buy the plastic gold, that danger has shifted beyond iPhone season in the fall. While the Trump Phone has moved back, iPhone 17 will be revealed in September.



Read on AppleInsider

ios_guy80

What a joke. This product and service was doomed to fail from the start.

ofer

You mean they lied about it being made in America?! I’m shocked! Shocked I tell you! 🤣 🙄

anthogag

This is only Trump's sons being doosh bags and taking advantage of the father's followers/sheeple. 

daven

Thanks for the honest article. Seriously.

spheric

You don’t say. 

jintech

I'm absolutely baffled 

beowulfschmidt

AppleInsider said:

Trump Mobile drops false 'made in America' promise

Read on AppleInsider

This is my shocked face.  😒

quakerotis

Because the T**** (the convicted felon and sexual predator)®™ phone not unlike anything the T**** (the convicted felon and sexual predator)®™ organization pushes, is powered by 100% dung beetle droppings.

applezulu

Not that consistency has any relevance in this administration, but you’d still have to think that the existence of the Trump phone, even as temporary vaporware, now shields Apple (and others) against the previous threat of a “smartphone tariff.” 

Trump and Co giving up on the too-easily exposed lie that the T1 would be made in the US means that any tariff on iPhone would also apply to the T1. 

What if they abandon the T1 altogether? Well, that along with the current concession that it isn’t going to be made in the US demonstrates that the expectation that Apple could build iPhone here anytime soon is impossible. If Trump can’t make a phone in America by August, how could anyone else be expected to do it?

Regarding Trump Mobile itself, it seems more questionable than ever that the T1 will ever materialize. That then brings into question the whole enterprise, because whole the point for any MAGA customer would be the conspicuous consumption of the brand. Paying more to bring your own phone to use Trump Mobile while no one can see you’re using Trump Mobile won’t cut it. Selling branded phone cases might help with that, but manufacturing those for dozens of phone models would be too complicated and would involve way too much cost in overhead (including tariffs!) for holding inventory. 

Could Trump Mobile be another failed enterprise before it even gets off the ground? Maybe Apple should just be thankful for the comically unforced error, as Tim Cook gently commiserates with the president over just how hard it would be to onshore production so hastily. 

metalcase

This is an APPLEINSIDER top story?  What does this have to do with Apple? Are there not already enough websites spreading political division and hate?

randominternetperson

I was going to post that this article is misleading by saying that "However, President Trump is still in control of the trust and has the ability to make decisions that affect the company."  Because, obviously, the only appropriate way a trust could be set up would be as a blind trust (like every other president used) where they explicitly relinquish control over their business/investments.

But then I fact checked this and I was a fool to give Trump any benefit of the doubt. Trump didn't set up a blind trust at all; he retains "significant influence or control over the activities of the trust."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2025/05/06/trump-organization-admits-president-still-controls-his-business-in-new-filing/

avidthinker

Is Donnie going to carve out a tariff exemption for this golden turd?

Awaiting the latest weak attempt at sanewashing from his apologists...

kiltedgreen

metalcase said:

This is an APPLEINSIDER top story?  What does this have to do with Apple? Are there not already enough websites spreading political division and hate?

Because Apple has been specifically targeted by the Trump idiocracy because they won’t build iPhones in the USA. Trump says that you can and you should. However, he’s now discovered at last what everyone who knows anything about this said months ago at the start of this wilful disregarding of facts, that the Trump Organisation cannot build a cheap crappy phone in the USA. Given that, how could Apple build a premium quality iPhone in the quantity Apple requires in the USA. That is why it has to do with Apple.

So, now not only is Trump’s MAGA junk made in China, Bangladesh and elsewhere but even the product touted as specifically Made in America isn’t either.

It’s bigly beautiful in so many ways.

mike wuerthele

metalcase said:

This is an APPLEINSIDER top story?  What does this have to do with Apple? Are there not already enough websites spreading political division and hate?

Short answer: We can cover anything we'd like. Ink by the barrel and so forth.

Longer answer: Apple and Trump intersect in about 10 different ways. If you can't see the connection to Apple because, charitably, his sons decided to do this and license the name, launching in SEPTEMBER, you know, iPhone release season, while their father shit-talks Apple for not manufacturing in the US, while they at the same time try to pull a fast one about US manufacturing, I don't know what to tell you.

We do not require you to read everything we write. If you don't like something, move on to the next piece, or the 10 before that, or the 50,000 before that.

If there's hate to be had here, it's the Trump sons that are doing it in this case. Pointing out the lies is hardly that. Facts don't care about your feelings or political side.

edited June 26

mac_dog

I (along with many) will be looking for a different carrier—not Verizon or AT&T, tho. 

bloggerblog

No guys wait wait wait... It's part of his comprehensive strategy! 🤣🤪

ericthehalfbee

AppleZulu said:

Not that consistency has any relevance in this administration, but you’d still have to think that the existence of the Trump phone, even as temporary vaporware, now shields Apple (and others) against the previous threat of a “smartphone tariff.” 

Trump and Co giving up on the too-easily exposed lie that the T1 would be made in the US means that any tariff on iPhone would also apply to the T1. 

What if they abandon the T1 altogether? Well, that along with the current concession that it isn’t going to be made in the US demonstrates that the expectation that Apple could build iPhone here anytime soon is impossible. If Trump can’t make a phone in America by August, how could anyone else be expected to do it?

Regarding Trump Mobile itself, it seems more questionable than ever that the T1 will ever materialize. That then brings into question the whole enterprise, because whole the point for any MAGA customer would be the conspicuous consumption of the brand. Paying more to bring your own phone to use Trump Mobile while no one can see you’re using Trump Mobile won’t cut it. Selling branded phone cases might help with that, but manufacturing those for dozens of phone models would be too complicated and would involve way too much cost in overhead (including tariffs!) for holding inventory. 

Could Trump Mobile be another failed enterprise before it even gets off the ground? Maybe Apple should just be thankful for the comically unforced error, as Tim Cook gently commiserates with the president over just how hard it would be to onshore production so hastily. 

The entire premise of your argument falls apart because it requires Trump to make decisions based on logic & common sense.

bloggerblog

metalcase said:

This is an APPLEINSIDER top story?  What does this have to do with Apple? Are there not already enough websites spreading political division and hate?

It is related since this was an attempt to take on the iPhone by claiming it was made in the US. Just another hoax by America's best hoax manufacturer.

applezulu

Mike Wuerthele said:

metalcase said:

This is an APPLEINSIDER top story?  What does this have to do with Apple? Are there not already enough websites spreading political division and hate?

Short answer: We can cover anything we'd like. Ink by the barrel and so forth.

Longer answer: Apple and Trump intersect in about 10 different ways. If you can't see the connection to Apple because, charitably, his sons decided to do this and license the name, launching in SEPTEMBER, you know, iPhone release season, while their father shit-talks Apple for not manufacturing in the US, while they at the same time try to pull a fast one about US manufacturing, I don't know what to tell you.

We do not require you to read everything we write. If you don't like something, move on to the next piece, or the 10 before that, or the 50,000 before that.

If there's hate to be had here, it's the Trump sons that are doing it in this case. Pointing out the lies is hardly that. Facts don't care about your feelings or political side.

A common retreat in the MAGA playbook when unpleasant facts are pointed out is the pearl-clutching "stay in your lane" lament. The same people who voted a D-list TV celebrity into office will tell every actor, musician, comedian, or athlete to stick to entertaining and keep their opinions to themselves if they don't subscribe to the cult, or in this case, will tell an Apple-centric publication to shut up about this Trump Phone grift even as Trump has targeted Apple, now effectively a business competitor, with government fiats that have already no doubt cost Apple millions of dollars. Your answer that this is your lane is correct and fully justified.

applezulu

okypinoky said:

metalcase said:

This is an APPLEINSIDER top story?  What does this have to do with Apple? Are there not already enough websites spreading political division and hate?

Absolutely concur!

Thanks Appleinsider for a completely useless article that serves no other purpose than to bash the President of the United States.  As a Veteran that has served under several Presidents with different ideologies - what has happened to America where all we do is bash our dully elected leaders simply because we are of different opinions.

This Country simply lacks pride and this stupid article just showed its true colors. 

Idiots.

It's not an opinion to state the fact that the Trump Org has backed off the false claim that their T1 phone would be built in the US, or that the T1 phone and Trump Mobile itself are at best a crass move by the family of the President to profit off his presidency. 

I have enough pride in this country to say that the whole thing is at best below the dignity of the Office of the President, and it is a disservice that President Trump has not publicly objected to it and asked his sons to shut the whole embarrassing thing down. I also have enough pride in the country to observe that this isn't just a crass faux pas, but yet another grift where the President himself is seeking to profit off the presidency in an activity rife with deep conflicts of interest as he takes executive actions that will affect competitors to this new "business." My pride in the country demands that this should stop and the people sullying our government be held to account for it.