Trump Mobile drops false 'made in America' promise
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.
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 (
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
Comments
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.
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/
Awaiting the latest weak attempt at sanewashing from his apologists...
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.
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.
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.