Donald Trump has officially entered the mobile phone business. Yes, seriously. The former U.S. President is now launching both a smartphone and a wireless service under the Trump brand. 
While it might sound like a late-night skit gone too far, the T1 Phone and Trump Mobile are very real-and equally puzzling.
The smartphone, oddly dubbed the T1 Phone (not Trump Mobile as you’d expect), boasts some decent mid-range specs: 12GB of RAM, 256GB storage, a 5,000mAh battery, and a 6.78-inch 120Hz display. It even supports microSD cards for storage expansion. So far, so standard.
But the price tag is where eyebrows really go up-$499 for a device with a triple-camera setup that includes a 50MP main sensor, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. At that price point, it’s competing with far more polished devices from established brands. Worse still, the official press release and Trump.com website were down shortly after the announcement, adding to the chaos and skepticism surrounding the launch.
What about the wireless service? Trump Mobile isn’t an actual carrier but a rebranded MVNO running on the T-Mobile network via Liberty Mobile. That means you’re essentially getting a Liberty Mobile SIM card in red, white, and blue packaging. The only plan available at launch? A steep $47.45/month-more expensive than many major competitors offering better deals.
If you’re eager to snag a T1 Phone, you’ll need to put down a $100 deposit now and hope to receive it in August or September. The site itself offers conflicting timelines, and no one’s sure what chipset powers the phone-or whether it’ll ever make it to doorsteps at all.
In short, it feels like another Trump-branded gamble, reminiscent of past ventures like Trump Steaks and Trump University. It’s flashy, headline-grabbing, and likely to appeal to a specific crowd. Whether it delivers on its promises-or delivers at all-is still very much up in the air.