Trump Mobile, the business founded by US President Donald Trump’s sons, has deleted the “Made in USA” label from its webpage for its newly released T1 8002 smartphone. The phone was aggressively marketed as being “designed and built in the United States.”
Now, the company asserts the phone is merely “designed with American values in mind.” The sudden shift has prompted a controversy over whether or not the phone is indeed American-made, as analysts and critics maintain it could be connected to a Chinese manufacturer.
Drops ‘Made in USA’ Disclaimer
During the months leading up to the release, Trump Mobile’s home page prominently featured the words “MADE IN THE USA.” The vow was the key to the marketing of the T1 phone. On June 16, business partner Pat O’Brien made a statement from Trump Tower that “we are going to be doing phones that we are going to build in America.”
But by June 22, that sentence no longer was on the site. CNN verified that alteration using the Internet Archive. The revised description now states, “designed with American values in mind.”
Speculation About Chinese Origins Increases
The site alteration came after news stories from technology analysts who questioned whether the phone was American-made. Some cited resemblance to phones produced by a Chinese company.
Still, a Trump Mobile spokesperson dismissed the criticism. “The T1 phones are proudly being made in America,” they told CNN. “Speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.”
Building Phones in US Isn’t Easy
Tech expert Francisco Jeronimo told the Associated Press that making phones entirely in the US is nearly impossible. He explained the US lacks both the infrastructure and supply chain needed.
“If it’s a matter of putting things together and chasing down tiny volumes, perhaps it can be done,” he said. “But still, most components remain to come from China.”
MAGA Branding, Patriotic Pricing
The Trumps launched the phone earlier in the month, with mobile plans starting at $47.45/month—a nod to Trump’s status as the 45th and 47th US President. Eric Trump went on to tell media host Benny Johnson that “eventually all the phones can be built in the United States.”
The shift in marketing rhetoric—first documented by The Verge—has raised further questions. For the moment, Trump Mobile maintains the phones are still American-made. But until definitive proof emerges, skepticism is bound to persist.