Trump Mobile drops ‘Made in USA' smartphone claims from website
The T1 Phone is priced at US$499 (S$636), putting it in the mid-range of smartphones. PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK – Trump Mobile, the new cellular service venture introduced by the Trump Organisation last week, has scrubbed online references that originally promised its first mobile handset, the T1 Phone, would be produced in the United States.
As reported by the Verge on June 25, the Trump Mobile website quietly removed language stating that the smartphone – due later in 2025 – is 'made in the USA'.
Instead, the page now includes less specific wording that says the T1 Phone has been 'designed with American values in mind'.
According to the description, the T1 Phone is 'brought to life right here in the USA' and 'with American hands behind every device'. But the website no longer asserts that it will be manufactured domestically.
The device's hardware specifications have also changed.
Originally, Trump Mobile advertised the T1 Phone as having a 17.2cm screen, but that has now been adjusted to a slightly smaller 15.9cm.
The website promised 'a sleek, gold smartphone engineered for performance and proudly designed and built in the United States for customers who expect the best from their mobile carrier'.
In a statement to USA Today, Trump Mobile spokesman Chris Walker rebutted the idea that production plans have changed.
'T1 phones are proudly being made in America,' Mr Walker said, adding that 'speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.'
The T1 Phone is priced at US$499 (S$636), putting it in the mid-range of smartphones, and customers can pre-order the device by putting down a US$100 deposit.
Trump Mobile's monthly phone service, dubbed the 47 Plan, costs US$47.45, a reference to Trump's two presidential terms, and includes unlimited talk and text with 20 gigabytes of high-speed data.
The service will use network capabilities from all three major US carriers: T-Mobile US, Verizon Communications and AT&T. BLOOMBERG
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