The launch of the Trump Mobile T1 phone, announced last June by Donald's sons – Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr – as the president's brand's first "made in the USA" smartphone, continues to not materialise.
Despite an August release announcement and the collection of US$100 (RM413) deposits for the US$499 (RM2,060) device, there is still no evidence that the product – presented in gold colour and with the American flag on the back – is actually ready for the market.
This is reported by NBC News, which had ordered a T1 to follow its development, but noted unjustified delays, missed deadlines, and fragmented information from customer service, which attributed the postponements to various causes, including the recent government "shutdown."
Making the picture even more ambiguous are the continuous changes to the Trump Mobile website, which has repeatedly altered technical details and the device's design.
Early images showed a model similar to an iPhone with three cameras; an August social media post, however, showed a completely different phone, with a greater number of cameras, which according to specialised publications would be a simple render of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Furthermore, all references to "Made in the USA" have disappeared from the site, replaced by vaguer phrases such as "brought to life in the USA" ("brought to life in the USA").
Experts cited by NBC remain sceptical about the possibility of quickly producing a truly American smartphone. Todd Weaver, founder of Purism – the only company that currently sells phones assembled in the United States – recalls that it took six years to bring his Liberty Phone to market, which is still not made entirely with American components and sells for US$2,000 (RM8.261).
Meanwhile, the broadcaster concludes, Trump Mobile offers customers refurbished Apple phones and Samsung models, presented as "brought to life in the USA" despite being primarily produced in Asia. – Adnkronos International, Rome/Tribune News Service
