Donald Trump’s family-run organization announced the launch of a $499 smartphone and mobile service claimed to be fully designed and manufactured in the United States.
Announced on June 16, the new mobile service ‘Trump Mobile’ will operate on the networks of the three major U.S. carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, to deliver 5G connectivity, Reuters reported. The plan, dubbed “The 47 Plan,” will cost $47.45 per month, a nod to Trump’s status as both the 45th and current 47th President.
“We are going to be introducing an entire package of products where people can come and they can get telemedicine on their phones for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance on their cars, unlimited texting to 100 countries around the world,” Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr. said outside the Trump Tower in New York City.
The $499 smartphone will come in a “sleek, gold” model that will be “designed and built in the United States,” the announcement states. Branded as “The T1 Phone,” this sleek gold device offers 256 GB of storage, a built-in camera, and proudly displays an American flag and “T1” logo on its back.
The Trump family has not revealed which company will manufacture the phone.
During a podcast appearance on the day of the announcement, Eric Trump indicated that the first batch of phones is expected by August and may not be produced domestically.
“Eventually, all the phones can be built in the United States of America,” Eric Trump said on The Benny Show podcast.
Trump Mobile subscribers’ perks include unlimited talk, text, and data; roadside assistance; telehealth services; and free international calling to over 100 countries. However, according to the company’s website, the unlimited texting feature may be subject to data limits.
Trump has said he placed his business interests in a trust managed by his children during his first term to avoid conflicts of interest. However, he still stands to benefit financially from anything tied to his family-run business. According to a June 13 disclosure, he earned over $600 million from licensing, crypto, golf clubs, and other ventures through the end of 2024. Since then, Trump-linked crypto projects alone have reportedly generated hundreds of millions more.
“No one who has been paying attention could miss that President Trump considers the presidency a vehicle to grow his family’s wealth. Maybe this example will help more come to see this undeniable truth,” said Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Harvard Law School.
Now, Trump Mobile adds to the long list of business launches under the Trump imprint, many of which failed, including Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump Mattresses, Trump Ice, and Trump University. There are also doubts about if the T1 phone will be fully manufactured in the U.S. Currently, California-based Purism is the only company manufacturing smartphones domestically, with its $1,999 Liberty phone built and assembled in the U.S.— aside from a China-sourced chassis — and running an in-house operating system. According to the Trump Mobile website, the Trump Organization is not involved in designing, manufacturing, or providing service for the T1 phone.
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