US President Donald Trump makes use of a cellphone aboard Marine One earlier than it departs Leesburg Government Airport in Leesburg, Virginia, on April 24, 2025. Trump is returning to the White Home after attending a MAGA, Inc. dinner on the Trump Nationwide Golf Membership Washington, DC.
Alex Wroblewski | AFP | Getty Pictures
The Trump Group scrapped a reference that its just lately revealed smartphone will likely be made within the U.S., amid doubts that such a tool could be manufactured on American shores at its price ticket.
A spokesperson for the Trump Group, which is owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, however maintained the handset could be made within the U.S.
This month, the Trump Group introduced the T1, a gold-colored machine set to retail for $499. On the time of the announcement, a banner on the homepage of the corporate’s web site mentioned: “Our MADE IN THE USA ‘T1 Cellphone’ is out there for pre-order now.”
The reference to the place the telephone will likely be produced has been utterly eliminated. The change was first famous by The Verge.
The T1’s webpage now says the telephone has “American-Proud Design” and is “delivered to life proper right here within the USA” — although it is unclear if meaning it’s going to really be manufactured in America.
When the T1 was initially introduced, experts told CNBC the machine would seemingly be made in China by a neighborhood third-party firm. The U.S. doesn’t have a complicated provide chain to fabricate smartphones. Even when it did, many parts would nonetheless want to come back from abroad.
Nonetheless, in an announcement to USA At this time, Trump Cell spokesperson Chris Walker, mentioned that “T1 telephones are proudly being made in America.”
“Hypothesis on the contrary is just inaccurate,” Walker mentioned.
The language about manufacturing location just isn’t the one factor that has modified on the T1 web site. A number of the options and specs of the machine have additionally been up to date.
Within the preliminary announcement, the Trump Cell web site mentioned the T1 would have a 6.8-inch AMOLED display screen. That has now been lowered to six.25-inch AMOLED show. A reference to it having 12 gigabytes of random entry reminiscence, or RAM, has additionally been dropped.
It is an uncommon transfer for a smartphone firm to vary the specs of a tool after it has been introduced.
CNBC has reached out to the Trump Group in regards to the modifications in language relating to it being manufactured within the U.S., in addition to amendments to the telephone’s specs.
Trump has made reshoring manufacturing in tech a key precedence. Whereas his preliminary consideration was on getting semiconductor manufacturing capability constructed up, the White Home chief has turned his sights on smartphones. He has additionally poured scrutiny on Apple‘s provide chain, urging the iPhone maker to manufacture its flagship handset in the U.S.