Almost a year after launch, Trump Mobile has collected roughly $59 million in deposits from an estimated 590,000 buyers for its gold T1 smartphone — and has not delivered a single confirmed device. In April, the company quietly rewrote its terms to say it may never have to.
The T1 launched on June 16, 2025, touted by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. as a “revolutionary” $499 gold Android phone — a patriotic alternative to Apple and Samsung, “designed and built in the United States.”
Read: Trump Mobile Launch Rings Loud, But the Signal on Substance Is Weak
Buyers paid a $100 deposit. Delivery was promised for late summer 2025. The deadline then moved to November, then December, then Q1 2026. Each passed without explanation. In April, Trump Mobile scrubbed the release date from its website and replaced it with a waitlist prompt — while continuing to collect deposits.
On April 6, Trump Mobile updated its preorder terms: “A preorder deposit provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale.” Estimated ship dates are now described as “non-binding estimates only.”
There is no contractual delivery obligation, no refund timeline, and no public confirmation of where the $59 million is being held.
Trump had weeks before launch threatened 25% tariffs on Chinese-made iPhones — a move that would inflate rivals’ prices while exempting his own “American-built” handset. Internet sleuths quickly identified the T1 as a probable rebadged budget Android made in China. Trump Mobile dropped the “Made in USA” claim shortly after launch without announcement. By early 2026, executives reportedly acknowledged that only limited final assembly would occur in Miami, with bulk production shifted overseas.
Joseph Cox of 404 Media placed a deposit to investigate. Trump Mobile charged his card the wrong amount, never collected his shipping address, and sent a confirmation email promising delivery notifications that never came — and later found two additional unauthorized charges on his card that he had not authorized.
He called it “the worst experience he has ever faced buying a consumer electronic product.”
A Reuters reporter who called the customer service number in June 2025 was greeted with “Omega Auto Care, how can I help you?” — the wrong company’s call center entirely.
NBC News, which placed a separate deposit in August 2025, was told November 13 was a confirmed ship date. It wasn’t. When NBC followed up, a representative blamed a 43-day federal government shutdown — an event that has little to no impact on a private hardware company pursuing commercial certification.
In January 2026, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic lawmakers asked the FTC to investigate “bait-and-switch tactics involving deposits for products never delivered” and whether the “Made in USA” advertising was false. The FTC has not confirmed any investigation.
The loudest critics are not longtime Trump opponents — many are his own supporters, buyers who deposited money believing they were investing in a genuinely American product. Trump Mobile has not responded to media inquiries. If the project is cancelled, the company has promised refunds, with no timeline specified.
Information for this story was found via the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
