11 hours ago
Trump family to launch $500 gold smartphone
The Trump family has unveiled plans to start selling a $500 (£368) gold-coloured smartphone and launch their own mobile network under the president's name.
The Trump Organization will start selling the 'T1' Android phone for $499 in August. The president's sons Eric and Donald Jr have also launched a new 'Trump Mobile' operator to cater to conservative consumers, which they said will 'revolutionise cell phones'.
It comes as the Trump family seek to capitalise on the president's popularity by building an ecosystem of businesses to serve Maga supporters.
Other ventures include the Truth Social social media platform and cryptocurrency businesses that they promise will bring financial freedom.
The expansion of the Trump family's businesses while Donald Trump is in office has sparked alarm and claims of profiteering from the highest office of the US state.
It has also triggered concerns about conflicts of interest, given Mr Trump's significant role in regulating US businesses with which some of his family's ventures compete.
For example, the president has repeatedly attacked Apple for building its iPhones abroad, threatening to impose tariffs on the smartphones unless manufacturing is moved to America.
Trump Mobile is billed as an 'all-American service' in a move that could be seen as an attack on Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, which manufactures its iPhone in China and India.
The T1 phone is 'proudly designed and built in the United States' and customer service call centres will be based in the US.
Donald Trump Jr, executive vice president of The Trump Organization, said: 'Trump Mobile is going to change the game, we're building on the movement to put America first, and we will deliver the highest levels of quality and service.
'Our company is based right here in the United States because we know it's what our customers want and deserve.'
The T1 phone has a 50-megapixel main camera, compared the iPhone 16e's 48 megapixels, which sells for $599 and has similar features such as AI face unlock. Unlike the 16e, however, it also has an in-screen fingerprint sensor.
The Trump Organization's new service offers 5G through all three major cellular carriers in the US as well as telemedicine services, roadside assistance and free international calls to more than 100 countries.
The so-called '47 Plan' costs $47.45 per month and comes with unlimited calls and data.
As with most Trump-branded products, the family will not manufacture or provide the services themselves. Instead, they are renting the family name to other companies that build the phone and run the service. Partners have not yet been named.
The Trump family has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue from ventures launched since Mr Trump's second election victory.
The family and its business partners have collected at least $320m in transaction fees alone from the $Trump meme coin that they launched just before the president's inauguration.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump disclosed that he had received $60m in income from World Liberty Financial (WLF), the cryptocurrency venture that he backs with his sons.
The White House says the president has no conflicts of interest because his assets are in a trust managed by his children
