Trump family launches mobile phone service selling gold-coloured devices

Globe and Mail

6 hours ago

The Trump family said it is licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Donald Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. President could mold public policy for personal gain.
Eric Trump, one of President Donald Trump's sons running the Trump Organization, said the new venture, called Trump Mobile, will sell phones that will be built in the U.S., and the phone service will maintain a call centre in the country as well.
The announcement of the new mobile phone and service, called T1 Mobile, follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April. A US$1.5-billion partnership to build golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in Vietnam was approved last month, but the deal was in the works before Trump was elected.
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Even oversight of such a company, with the Trump name attached, raises ethical concerns.
Trump has already used the federal government to reward his allies and punish his enemies. The Federal Communications Commission, the primary regulatory body overseeing mobile phone companies, has already launched investigations of media outlets Trump dislikes and, in some cases, is personally suing.
Still, Eric Trump said Monday that consumers deserve a phone that aligns with their values.
'Hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that's affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on,' he said in a statement.
Trump criticized Apple last month because it planned to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India, and threatened to slap a 25 per cent tariff on the devices unless the tech giant starts building the product in its home country.
The company on Monday said the new, gold-coloured phone available for US$499 in August, called the T1 Phone, won't be designed or made by Trump Mobile, but by another company.
The Trump Organization did not respond immediately to a request for more details.
A mock-up of the phone on the company's website showed Trump's slogan, 'Make America Great Again,' on the front and an etched American flag on the back.
The service, which will cost US$47.45 a month, is partnering with existing cellular carriers with access to a 5G network. The Trump service will offer free texts and calls, and unlimited data. It will also offer free roadside assistance and a telehealth service that will allow callers to get prescriptions.
The name given to the monthly service offer, The 47 Plan, also makes reference to the presidency. Trump was the 45th president and is currently the 47th.
By sticking to licensing, the Trump family is limiting its risk. Still, the new service faces big challenges if it hopes sell beyond the President's loyal MAGA fans.
The Trump company tried to tap into Trump support among the middle class in the first term with a mid-priced hotel chain. Called American Idea, and unveiled like the phone service Monday under a giant U.S. flag in the Trump Tower atrium, it flopped.
Despite taking in millions of dollars each year in various licensing deals and a string of new ventures, the Trump brand has taken a series of hits to its brand over the years.
During his first term, the Trump name was stripped off residential buildings and hotels in Toronto, Panama and Manhattan. After the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, banks refused to lend to the family business.
The Trump International Hotel in Washington, since sold, lost money even though the family opened its doors to business executives, lobbyists and diplomats trying to shape U.S. policy.
And the average condo in Trump branded residential towers has underperformed the broader market in several cities for years during and immediately after Trump's first term. In New York City, the value of Trump condos have fallen 2 per cent in the past two years even though prices for condos built during roughly the same period have jumped. Those indexes rose 8 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, according to CityRealty.
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He has had more success with some ventures launched during his second term.
Trump's media company also announced Monday that it had filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a new exchange-traded fund tied to the prices of the two most popular forms of cryptocurrency. Trump Media & Technology Group, the Florida company which operates the Truth Social media platform that the President uses to communicate with his followers, said the planned ETF will have 75 per cent of its assets in bitcoin, the world's most popular cryptocurrency, and 25 per cent in ether, the second-most popular.
The planned ETF is another branch in the Trump family's rapidly growing crypto empire, which includes a new stablecoin and launching and promoting meme coins. The President's most recent financial disclosure report shows that he made more than US$57-million last year from World Liberty Financial, a crypto company he and his sons helped launch in September.