Eric and Don Trump announce “Trump Mobile”
Trump Organization launched a self-branded mobile network, dubbed Trump Mobile, signaling a new effort to court conservative consumers with a wireless service positioned as an alternative to major telecom providers.
Just days after the Trump Organization announced a new Trump Mobile cell phone service and gold T1 Phone, the company owned by President Trump has removed all “made in the USA” language from their website.
The Trump company said last week that Trump Mobile will offer cell service in a licensing deal and sell gold phones by the summer. It’s the latest in a string of new ventures struck despite mounting ethical concerns that the U.S. president is profiting off his position and could distort public policy for personal gain.
Will Trump phones be made in the USA?
The Trump Organization said the gold-colored phones – available for $499 in August – won’t be designed or made by Trump Mobile, but by another company.
What they’re saying:
When the announcement was made, Eric Trump, one of Trump’s sons running the family business, said Trump Mobile phones will be made in the U.S., though experts quickly questioned how that was possible. The U.S. doesn’t have the supply chain required to manufacture smartphones, and even if it did, their parts would still have to be imported from overseas, according to CNBC.
Trump Mobile is also excited to announce it will release the “T1 Phone” in August.
“Hard-working Americans deserve a wireless service that’s affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on,” Eric Trump said in a statement when Trump Mobile was announced.
Dig deeper:
The day the T1 was announced, a banner on the Trump Organization’s website said “”Our MADE IN THE USA ‘T1 Phone’ is available for pre-order now.”
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But as The Verge first reported, that language no longer appears anywhere on the website. Now, it says the phone is an “American-Proud Design” that’s “brought to life right here in the USA.”
The mobile service is partnering with existing cellular carriers with access to a 5G network, raising questions of how they will be treated by federal regulators now that they have partnered with his company. The Trump Organization said those companies are America’s three biggest mobile network providers, an apparent reference to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, the latter with a trademarked name that is very similar to Trump’s T1 Mobile.
By the numbers:
The name given to the monthly service offer, The 47 Plan, and the monthly $47.45 monthly fee make reference to Trump’s two terms, the 45th and the 47th. The service will include unlimited calls, texts and data and free roadside assistance and telehealth services.
Trump’s other ventures
The backstory:
Trump ventured into the telecommunication industry once before, giving speeches and promoting a multi-level marketing company called ACN that was eventually sued for fraud and misleading customers.
In the first term, Trump was blasted by conservative and liberal government ethics experts alike for opening his Washington hotel to lobbyists and diplomats and violating his company’s pledge to avoid even the appearance of a conflict between his private profit and the public interest.
The Trump Organization has had more success with some ventures launched in the first few months of his second term.
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Trump Media & Technology Group, a Florida company that operates the Truth Social media platform, filed plans with security regulators Monday to launch an exchange-traded fund tied to the prices of two popular cryptocurrencies.
The ETF is part of the Trump family’s rapidly growing crypto empire, which includes a new stablecoin and launching and promoting memecoins.
The president’s most recent financial disclosure report reveals he made more than $57 million last year from World Liberty Financial, a crypto company he and his sons helped launch in September.
The Source: This report includes information from the Trump Organization, The Associated Press, CNBC, The Verge and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting. FOX’s Chris Williams contributed.
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