In mid-2025, Trump Mobile, affiliated with the Trump Organization, introduced plans for smartphones that would emphasize American manufacturing and featured a distinctive gold-colored model called the T1. However, these initial assurances have since been moderated, with significant delays announced, causing customers to await the gold T1 phone well into 2026.
Earlier this year, Trump Mobile retracted its guarantee that every phone would be produced entirely within the United States. This came alongside shifting release dates for the gold T1 model. According to coverage in the Financial Times, the launch originally scheduled for August 2025 has been deferred multiple times, pushing the debut into the following year. Customer service representatives from Trump Mobile cited the ongoing U.S. government shutdown as a key factor contributing to the postponements in shipping and availability of the T1 gold smartphone.
Currently, consumers can place a reservation for the T1 phone by submitting a $100 deposit via Trump Mobile’s website. Despite the initial announcement hinging on a late summer 2025 release, the company's timeline has repeatedly extended, reflecting the complexities faced in production and logistics during political and operational disruptions. Alongside these delays, the company refined its messaging on manufacturing origins, now stating phones would be "brought to life in the United States," which suggests partial domestic assembly or involvement rather than full-scale local manufacture.
The Trump Mobile platform also markets itself by highlighting "All-American performance" with phone plans priced at $47.45 monthly — a deliberate nod to Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th and 47th President of the United States. Although the company was publicly introduced in June 2025 by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, the former president himself is not formally engaged with the operations or launch activities of Trump Mobile.
The announcement of Trump Mobile came during a period when Donald Trump openly criticized major smartphone manufacturers, particularly Apple Inc., for outsourcing production overseas, contrasting with the new company’s emphasis on American-made technology. Despite this, the Trump Mobile service currently features offerings from well-established brands including Apple and Samsung, extending a range of second-hand devices rather than exclusively promoting proprietary Trump-labeled phones.
Devices available through Trump Mobile’s website include renewed versions of popular handsets such as:
- Samsung S24 Renewed priced at $459
- Samsung S23 Renewed priced at $369
- iPhone 15 Renewed priced at $629
- iPhone 14 Renewed priced at $489
Additionally, customers have the option to retain their current smartphones while subscribing to the Trump Mobile service under the $47.45 monthly plan. This flexibility underscores a business model that relies substantially on existing devices supplemented by competitive service plans rather than immediate direct sales of the flagship gold T1 phone.
Efforts to obtain detailed data regarding consumer uptake of these plans or the volume of second-hand phone purchases through the company have not been met with responses from Trump Mobile. This absence of disclosure leaves questions around market traction and commercial success unanswered at this time.
The tech sector and interested consumers now look toward 2026, hoping that Trump Mobile can overcome the logistical hurdles attributed to government shutdowns and fulfill the promise of its distinctive gold-colored T1 smartphone. Until then, the delay serves as a reminder of the challenges involved in launching hardware in the current geopolitical and manufacturing environment.