The Trump Organisation, led by President Donald Trump’s sons, is launching its own telecom offering after the summer: Trump Mobile. That includes a gold-colored smartphone.
A subscription for $47.45 per month, and a smartphone for $499: that is what the sons of American President Donald Trump proposed. Sons Eric and Donald Jr. did so in Trump Tower in New York. The operator does not have its network, but instead uses the networks of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. That should guarantee a strong reception, coast to coast, according to the press release. ‘At Trump Mobile, we believe that mobile services should reflect American values – simple, honest and made for hardworking people’, we read further on the site.
The price – $47.45 per month – refers to the fact that Donald Trump is the 47th president of the US, and number 45 in his previous term. In addition to unlimited data, text, and call traffic, customers will also be able to call on roadside assistance 24/7.
Golden smartphone
The Trump Organisation is also releasing a gold–coloured smartphone, the T1, which will cost $ 499. The first visual of the device also shows an image of the American flag with the inscription ‘Make America Great Again’. The device will also be designed and built entirely in the United States, according to the organisation. However, we dare to immediately place significant question marks about whether it is currently even possible to find such large quantities of hardware in the US. Almost none of the world’s foremost phone manufacturers assemble their devices on a large scale within the country: not even Apple.
Strange specifications
In the meantime, the specifications of the T1 Phone are also available, and they appear somewhat unusual. A physical headphone jack, for example, in combination with Android 15? That’s strange, since almost every premium manufacturer has stopped doing that. What also inspires little confidence is that the most essential component—the processor—cannot be found in the list of specs. A lie? Officially, according to the Trump Organisation, it is the company T1 Mobile LLC that produces the smartphone and that was granted the license to use the brand name ‘Trump’.
New conflict of interest?
Critics see the launch as further evidence of a conflict of interest between politics and business. They accuse the president of using his office for commercial gain. The Trump Organisation initially focused mainly on real estate transactions, but is now increasingly focusing on technology.
For example, there was already the social media platform ‘Truth Social’ and its own cryptocurrency. You can also ask the extent to which a mobile phone company conflicts with its business plans. Just last month, Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Apple if the tech company did not manufacture its iPhones in the US. An old sore for the president, who also regularly reiterated this demand in his previous term.