First came a variety of products, ranging from Trump Bibles, to trading cards, sneakers and luxury watches. Now the Trump organisation is allegedly proposing to launch its own mobile phone service.
Growing scepticism aside - that this will be yet another Trump-branded product destined to fail – critics have raised ethical concerns that Trump’s business empire is capitalising on its association with the sitting president.
On Friday, the U.S. president reported that he had amassed $8 million from various licensing agreements in 2024 alone.
Dubbed Trump Mobile, the new service unveiled yesterday looks to take on Apple and Samsung with a mobile phone plan and a $499 smartphone that is expected to launch in September.
According to its website, Trump Mobile will offer a US$47.45-per-month plan that includes unlimited talk, text and data, as well as roadside assistance and a “Telehealth and Pharmacy Benefit."
The company is also proposing to sell a “T1” smartphone - which appears to feature a gold-coloured metal case etched with an American flag – which is expected to launch in August.
Meanwhile, the Trump Organisation said consumers would be able to use the new service using their existing phone.
As with the string of other products rolled out during Trump’s political career, the company’s new foray into telecommunications mainly comprises a licensing agreement.
The Trump Mobile website makes it clear that:
“… its products and services are not designed, developed, manufactured, distributed or sold by The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals.”
The Trump Mobile website also tells consumers that its T1 phone runs on Android 15 and features a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
Other specs include 12 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of internal storage, as well as a 50-megapixel main camera.
The Trump Organisation has also reassured consumers that its mobile service will work with all three major wireless carriers.
However, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T - the top three U.S. wireless carriers – have remained tight-lipped about the Trump Organisation’s new phone plan.
The company plans to use resale deals – aka mobile virtual network operator agreements – that allow carriers to sell excess capacity on its network, while avoiding marketing and sign-up costs.
According to the Trump Mobile site, it offers the “same coverage as the 3 nationwide phone service carriers” and supports a U.S.-based customer service call centre.
It’s understood that the Trump Organisation’s mobile venue will be run by Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr.
While the Trump family business has recently expanded beyond real estate and golf courses into new ventures, including cryptocurrencies, the president has always maintained that he is not involved in day-to-day operations.
The Trump Organisation’s foray into the mobile phones business follows the president’s threats to place additional levies on Apple if it didn’t shift its production to America.
Apple has repeatedly argued that the U.S. does not have the labour force at the scale required to manufacture its products state-side.
