Trump Family Business: "T1 Unlikely to Launch This Year"
Release Postponed Again After Changing Notice from August to "End of This Year"
Company Cites "Impact of U.S. Government Shutdown"
'Trump Mobile,' the family business of U.S. President Donald Trump, has once again postponed the release of the 'Trump Golden Phone,' which it had promised to launch by the end of this year.
On December 30 (local time), Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the British daily Financial Times (FT), that Trump Mobile has delayed its plan to release the gold-colored smartphone 'T1' by the end of this year. Trump Mobile is a telecommunications company established by the Trump Organization, the family business of President Donald Trump.
According to FT, Trump Mobile's customer service team recently explained that the launch of the T1 has been delayed due to the impact of the U.S. government shutdown (a temporary suspension of some government functions), making it unlikely that the phone will be released within December 2025. Previously, Trump Mobile had announced its T1 launch plan in June and said that sales would begin in August.
The so-called Trump Phone, or T1, is a smartphone featuring a gold-colored case with President Trump's political slogan, "Make America Great Again." It was announced that the phone would be sold for $499 (approximately 680,000 KRW) with a $47.45 (68,700 KRW) monthly plan from Liberty Mobile Wireless, and customers were asked to pay a $100 (144,000 KRW) deposit per device to reserve one.
In particular, the product attracted attention by stating that it would be "manufactured in the United States." President Trump has strongly criticized the fact that Apple and Samsung smartphones are produced in countries other than the U.S.
However, at the time, supply chain experts pointed out that it is nearly impossible to mass-produce devices using only U.S.-made components, expressing skepticism about such claims. According to market research firm IDC, less than 5% of the components in Apple iPhones are estimated to be made in the United States.
In fact, less than a month after the initial announcement, by late June, Trump Mobile removed the phrase "manufactured in the United States" and replaced it with wording such as "designed with American values" and "will come to life right here in America." The release schedule was also postponed to the end of the year.
Some of the product specifications were also changed. The original display size, listed as 6.78 inches, was revised to 6.25 inches, and the previously stated 12GB of RAM was removed from the specifications.
Trump Mobile has now started selling used Apple and Samsung smartphones on its website. A used Apple iPhone 15 from 2023 is being sold for $629 (909,000 KRW), and a used Samsung Galaxy S24 from 2024 is being sold for $459 (665,000 KRW). FT noted that this price is somewhat lower than the $489 (709,000 KRW) for a used S24 sold on Samsung's official website.
According to FT, when Trump Mobile made its announcement in June, it introduced three executives, but their professional backgrounds were not disclosed in detail. Some members of the management team were said to be owners of insurance or real estate companies, with little connection to the mobile industry.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
