The Trump Organization’s golden smartphone is finally headed to customers, months behind schedule and amid ongoing questions about its “Made in America” claims.
NEW YORK — Trump Mobile announced that it has begun shipping its long-delayed T1 smartphone to pre-order customers, nearly a year after the device was first announced with fanfare at Trump Tower and nine months after it was originally supposed to arrive.
The gold-plated T1 phone, priced at $499, will start shipping this week, the company announced.
Customers had grown increasingly anxious about whether the device would ever materialize. The phone was originally meant to ship in August 2025. Its release date was pushed to November, then December, then mid-March of this year, before the company quietly removed a release date from its website altogether.
“The T1 Phone has arrived!! Those who pre-ordered the T1 Phone will be receiving an update email. Phones start shipping this week!!!” Trump Mobile posted on social media, along with a video of a gold-toned Android phone branded with “Trump Mobile.”
Comments and replies were turned off on multiple social media sites.
CEO Pat O’Brien told media outlets the launch was delayed as the company worked through multiple stages of development and testing to ensure the phone’s components met quality standards.
“The technology business is more difficult than some may realize as parts must be tested for quality assurances. We have experienced delays during a variety of steps in getting the T1 to completion, but those delays were worth it in our minds as we are delivering an amazing product,” O’Brien said in a statement to TIME.
Some raised eyebrows at how closely the T1 resembles an off-the-shelf device. Users on X pointed out the phone appears to be a Chinese phone available from T-Mobile that has since been replaced by a newer version. An unlocked version is available on Amazon for about $127.
A note under photos of the T1 phone on the Trump Mobile website reads: “Product features and images are for illustration only. Final product appearance and specifications may vary.” The website also offers older refurbished Apple and Samsung phones for sale.
The phone’s specs are a downgrade from what was originally advertised. The phone will have a smaller screen and less memory storage, while the Trump branding and golden hue appear to remain in place. Trump Mobile originally promoted the T1 as an “all-American” phone, but has since dropped that language, now describing it as “designed with American values in mind” and shaped by “American innovation,” according to CNN.
O’Brien confirmed to multiple outlets that the first units being shipped are assembled in the U.S., and that the company ultimately aims to use primarily domestic components going forward.
Trump Mobile updated its pre-order deposit terms earlier this spring to state that the company “does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase,” and that a deposit merely represents a “conditional opportunity” to buy a phone “if” Trump Mobile decided to sell one. Customers paid a $100 deposit for the pre-order with the remaining price to be charged when it shipped.
The company did not disclose how many phones had been pre-ordered or shipped, but said it expected outstanding orders to be fulfilled within the next several weeks.
Trump Mobile offers cell services through existing carrier infrastructure at a monthly price of $47.45 — a reference to Trump’s terms as the 45th and 47th president.