US5 min(s) read
Published 13:35 13 May 2026 GMT
Buyers of the Trump mobile phone have been left in the dark, months after its purported release date.
It has been almost one year since Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump took to the Trump Tower to announce the launch of Trump Mobile, an "all-American" cell phone service, with a golden phone to follow.
Many US citizens were intrigued by the prospect, so much so that 600,000 people forked out $100 deposits for the advertised T1 Phone, according to Time.
It would be priced at $499, and last summer, they claimed that it would be launched in August 2025.
But in May 2026, buyers are still expecting a release date after being left in the dark about the device's development.
There is no release date listed on the Trump Mobile website, and despite their claims, the phone may not be made in the US after all.
Trump supporters have now pushed for answers on the situation, months after being told false promises.
Mere months after Trump began his second presidential term, his eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, announced the launch of Trump Mobile.
They pushed the idea of a made-in-America gold mobile phone, in addition to a mobile service with SIM cards that were also manufactured in the US, while running on the networks of the nation's three primary wireless providers.
According to the website, customers could put a $100 deposit down against the full price of $499 for the T1 gold phone, but the release date was repeatedly pushed back.
It would first be pushed back to late 2025, then early 2026, only for a release date to be released from the website completely in April.
Instead, it offers site visitors the chance to "join the waitlist."
Customers can join the Trump Mobile network on their existing phones, or via the refurbished iPhones and Samsung devices on the Trump Mobile website, but MAGA supporters are sceptical over the release of the T1 phone.
A viral TikTok video posted in January, which has since been deleted, showed a Trump supporter voicing their frustrations at the situation.
They claimed: “Hey, Trump supporter here. This one goes out to Don Jr. and Eric,
“Where the f***’s my phone? I ordered three, no, four, gold Trump phones in the summer.”
Trump Mobile had updated its “Preorder Deposit Terms and Conditions” on April 6, 2026, making some wild claims about those who put down a deposit.
One section reads: "A preorder deposit provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale."
The explanation goes on: "A deposit is not a purchase, does not constitute acceptance of an order, does not create a contract for sale, does not transfer ownership or title interest, does not allocate or reserve specific inventory, and does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase."
Prospective buyers quickly realised that the fine print may mean that their deposit may be gone for good, regardless of whether a phone was released.
The terms do detail that Trump Mobile will issue a refund of the deposit if it cancels a product, but it adds that they are not responsible for delays caused by “parts shortages or hold-ups with regulators.”
The website clarified: "A binding sales contract is formed only if all of the following occur: (1) Trump Mobile makes the Device available for sale; (2) you complete checkout; (3) you submit full payment; and (4) Trump Mobile accepts and successfully processes payment.
"Until those conditions are satisfied, no enforceable agreement for purchase exists."
The website still offers a "waitlist" and suggests that the T1 gold phone will be released, but pledges to "issue a full refund of the deposit amount paid" if the phone's production is canceled.
One of the main selling points of Trump mobile products were that they would be "all-American," being manufactured in the US.
Eric Trump told Fox Business in June: “We don’t want to do that overseas. We don’t want to do that in India.”
The company never explained where or how the phones would be manufactured, which left industry experts confused at the price point they mentioned.
This is due to the fact that the only American phone at the time, the Liberty Phone, cost an eye-watering $2,000.
Trump Mobile has since dropped the made in America claim, instead describing their products as being "designed with American values in mind," featuring an "American-proud design," as well as "shaped by American innovation."
Despite the new designs looking different to original suggestions, the website still directs customers to a waitlist to pay a deposit.
Back in January, lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Adam Schiff, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, signed a letter addressed to the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, asking for an investigation of Trump Mobile.
They claimed that they had used "bait-and-switch tactics" in relation to their made in America claims about the mystery product.
They claimed that "there are no signs that the phone has become a reality," adding: "While customers wait for the promised T1 phone, Trump Mobile has been selling refurbished iPhones, which are largely manufactured in China, and Samsung devices, which are manufactured by a Korean company, while claiming these products are 'brought to life right here in the USA."
