Politics
Published: May. 11, 2026, 12:30 p.m.
Trump Mobile launched on June 16, 2025, and has since received $59 million in deposits for its gold T1 model. To date, not a single phone has been shipped.
Photo Illustration by Algi Febri Sugita/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images. Trump Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
By Nick Moyle | NJ.com
Trump Mobile launched on June 16, 2025, and has since amassed an estimated $59 million in deposits to preorder the flagship T1 gold cell phone. To date, not a single phone has been shipped.
Touted by President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., as a “revolutionary” product, the T1’s announced August 2025 release never came to fruition. An update to the preorder terms and conditions on April 6, 2026, said there is no “guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase.”
“Estimated ship dates, launch timelines, or anticipated production schedule are non-binding estimates only,” according to the updated terms.
Depositors who put down $100 for the $500 phone are left with little more than a potential store credit, and only if the T1 ever goes on sale.
If Trump Mobile cancels the phone entirely, the company has promised to refund the 590,000 depositers while shielding itself from liability for delays caused by “parts shortages or hold-ups with regulators.”
And if the T1 does enter production, the phone will not be made exclusively in the United States. Company executives confirmed to reporters that bulk manufacturing will occur overseas, with only the final assembly of the last 10 components taking place in Miami.
Trump Mobile initially marketed the T1 as a proudly American-made alternative to Apple and Samsung, whose flagship devices are largely manufactured overseas. The pitch was straightforward and patriotic.
“With Trump Mobile, what you see is what you get, every time,” the company’s website reads.
In the meantime, Trump Mobile is selling refurbished iPhones made in China and secondhand Samsung devices, both operating on T-Mobile’s network. Its flagship “47 Plan” starts at $47.45 per month, a reference to Trump’s status as the 45th and 47th president.
Despite the Trump brothers personally announcing the phone at Trump Tower and promoting it in media appearances, a disclaimer on the company’s website states that the Trump Organization and Trump family have no involvement in making or selling the products.
The Trump name is licensed to T1 Mobile LLC under a limited agreement that can be terminated at any time.
The fine print has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
In January, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democratic lawmakers urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate what they described as “bait-and-switch tactics involving deposits for products never delivered.” They demanded a response by Feb. 14.
The Democrats also sought to determine whether Trump Mobile’s “Made in the USA” advertising constituted false advertising. “Our review of publicly reported information about the advertising and sale of the phone reveals a pattern of potentially deceptive practices that warrant FTC investigation,” the lawmakers said in a Jan. 15 statement.
As of May 2026, the FTC has not publicly confirmed whether a formal investigation into Trump Mobile has been opened. FTC commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson, a Trump loyalist, has not commented on the matter.
While the FTC has remained silent on Trump Mobile, journalists and content creators who place orders have criticized the company for its ever-shifting timeline and its furtive term updates.
When investigative journalist Joseph Cox of 404 Media tried to pre-order the T1 in July 2025, the wheels came off before he could even complete the transaction.
Cox said that his credit card was billed incorrectly and the company never collected a shipping address. A confirmation email promising future delivery updates arrived, then went silent.
Cox pulled no punches in his assessment, calling it “the worst experience I’ve ever faced buying a consumer electronic product.”
Carter Smith, a popular American tech content creator and influencer, posted a scathing critique of his experience with Trump Mobile after placing a deposit for the T1 model.
“I thought paying the deposit meant they would make the phone and then send it to me because that’s how deposits work. Right? Wrong,” Smith said in a May 10 Instagram video. “So nothing. It gets you nothing.”
He added: “I’m paying $100 for the chance to maybe give you more money in the future if you decide to make the product that I’m paying for in the first place. What.”
Tracking the Trump Administration:
Trump Mobile launched on June 16, 2025, and has since amassed an estimated $59 million in deposits to preorder the flagship T1 gold cell phone. To date, not a single phone has been shipped.
Touted by President Donald Trump’s two oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., as a “revolutionary” product, the T1’s announced August 2025 release never came to fruition. An update to the preorder terms and conditions on April 6, 2026, said there is no “guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase.”
“Estimated ship dates, launch timelines, or anticipated production schedule are non-binding estimates only,” according to the updated terms.
Depositors who put down $100 for the $500 phone are left with little more than a potential store credit, and only if the T1 ever goes on sale.
If Trump Mobile cancels the phone entirely, the company has promised to refund the 590,000 depositers while shielding itself from liability for delays caused by “parts shortages or hold-ups with regulators.”
And if the T1 does enter production, the phone will not be made exclusively in the United States. Company executives confirmed to reporters that bulk manufacturing will occur overseas, with only the final assembly of the last 10 components taking place in Miami.
Trump Mobile initially marketed the T1 as a proudly American-made alternative to Apple and Samsung, whose flagship devices are largely manufactured overseas. The pitch was straightforward and patriotic.
“With Trump Mobile, what you see is what you get, every time,” the company’s website reads.
In the meantime, Trump Mobile is selling refurbished iPhones made in China and secondhand Samsung devices, both operating on T-Mobile’s network. Its flagship “47 Plan” starts at $47.45 per month, a reference to Trump’s status as the 45th and 47th president.
Despite the Trump brothers personally announcing the phone at Trump Tower and promoting it in media appearances, a disclaimer on the company’s website states that the Trump Organization and Trump family have no involvement in making or selling the products.
The Trump name is licensed to T1 Mobile LLC under a limited agreement that can be terminated at any time.
The fine print has drawn scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
In January, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democratic lawmakers urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate what they described as “bait-and-switch tactics involving deposits for products never delivered.” They demanded a response by Feb. 14.
The Democrats also sought to determine whether Trump Mobile’s “Made in the USA” advertising constituted false advertising. “Our review of publicly reported information about the advertising and sale of the phone reveals a pattern of potentially deceptive practices that warrant FTC investigation,” the lawmakers said in a Jan. 15 statement.
As of May 2026, the FTC has not publicly confirmed whether a formal investigation into Trump Mobile has been opened. FTC commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson, a Trump loyalist, has not commented on the matter.
While the FTC has remained silent on Trump Mobile, journalists and content creators who place orders have criticized the company for its ever-shifting timeline and its furtive term updates.
When investigative journalist Joseph Cox of 404 Media tried to pre-order the T1 in July 2025, the wheels came off before he could even complete the transaction.
Cox said that his credit card was billed incorrectly and the company never collected a shipping address. A confirmation email promising future delivery updates arrived, then went silent.
Cox pulled no punches in his assessment, calling it “the worst experience I’ve ever faced buying a consumer electronic product.”
Carter Smith, a popular American tech content creator and influencer, posted a scathing critique of his experience with Trump Mobile after placing a deposit for the T1 model.
“I thought paying the deposit meant they would make the phone and then send it to me because that’s how deposits work. Right? Wrong,” Smith said in a May 10 Instagram video. “So nothing. It gets you nothing.”
He added: “I’m paying $100 for the chance to maybe give you more money in the future if you decide to make the product that I’m paying for in the first place. What.”
Tracking the Trump Administration:
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