“Freedom” phones

Trump Mobile launches, hyping $499 US-made phone amid Apple threats

A Trump-branded smartphone due out by September is likely to draw criticism.

Ashley Belanger – Jun 16, 2025 12:37 PM | 253

Credit: ALEX WROBLEWSKI / Contributor | AFP

Donald Trump’s image will soon be used to sell smartphones, the Trump Organization confirmed after unveiling a new wireless service, Trump Mobile, on Monday.

According to the press release, Trump Mobile’s “flagship” wireless plan will be “The 47 Plan,” which references Trump’s current term as the United States’ 47th president.

The Trump Organization says the plan offers an “unbeatable value”—costing $47.45 per month—and “transformational” cellular service. But the price seems to be on par with other major carriers’ “best phone plans,” according to a recent CNET roundup, and the service simply plugs into the 5G network through “all three major carriers,” the press release noted.

The main selling point, then, appears to be the Trump name, with the Trump Mobile website saying it’s “the only mobile service aligned with your values and built on reliability, freedom, and American pride.” CNBC noted that the Trump Organization’s “foray into telecommunications mainly comprises a licensing agreement” rather than representing some bold new offering in the market.

The Trump Mobile agreement is seemingly no different from other deals for Trump-branded products that raked in more than $8 million for the president last year, including watches, perfumes, a Bible, a memecoin, and a guitar. And it’s just as likely to be criticized as those deals, The Hill reported, by “those who see Trump’s family as excessively monetizing his time in office.”

Trump-branded smartphone will be made in the USA

Next on the product list is a Trump-branded “T1 Phone,” which would come just as Trump lobs criticism at Apple and threatens the tech giant with tariffs for failing to build its iPhones in the US. The Trump Organization’s press release seemed to take a shot at Apple, describing Trump’s competing product as “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.”

A product image of the Donald Trump-branded T1 Phone. Credit: via Trump Mobile

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The T1 Phone is due out later this fall—it’s unclear exactly when, as the press release says August, but the website says September—but it can be preordered now for $499. That’s less than the cost of an iPhone 16, which costs $799 today but could cost at least 25 percent more if Apple pivots manufacturing to the US, analysts have suggested. There may be some issues, however, as 404 Media reported that its attempt to preorder the phone triggered a page load failure and charged its credit card the wrong amount.

Like Apple or any device maker, the Trump Organization seemingly expects the Trump Mobile brand to fuel a wide range of products, like battery chargers and phone cases. Trump Mobile could even launch its own retail stores, Bloomberg reported.

But the new mobile empire could collapse at any moment. Trump Mobile’s website repeatedly warns customers that its use of the Trump trademark can “be terminated or revoked,” while noting that “Trump Mobile, its products and services are not designed, developed, manufactured, distributed or sold by The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.”

And although the press release touted Trump Mobile’s “reliability,” the terms make clear that the Trump Organization is not liable for third-party services it relies on, warning that the wireless services can be withdrawn “permanently” without notice.

Additionally, all T1 Phone sales are non-refundable and subject to pricing changes after orders are placed, the terms say, with Trump Mobile seemingly being unprepared to honor prices if there are errors on its website.

It’s unclear how big a market there may be for Trump’s new phone. Apple has long dominated the smartphone market, and even at a competitive price, Trump’s new phone will likely struggle to compete.

Trump fans are clearly the target audience, but the branding may be confusing. The phones aren’t even currently being built in the US, Eric Trump suggested in an interview clip shared on Bluesky. In product images, the T1 Phone is stamped with both an American flag and a “T” logo that’s unlike Trump’s sans serif campaign logo and somewhat similar to the T-Mobile logo.

Its gold color appears to be the phone’s most distinctive feature, apart from the device’s notably odd proportions. At a time when rivals’ smartphones keep getting bigger to enhance the display, the T1 Phone seems to opt for a strangely elongated shape. That gives the phone a narrower screen that could impact the display of images, videos, games, or other mobile content, if the product images provide an accurate depiction of the final product.

Ashley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter

Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience.

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