Trump Organization makes "Made in USA" phones, is the ambition feasible?

(Dan Tri) - Trump Mobile has just launched a package and a T1 smartphone model labeled "Made in USA". However, experts have many opinions about the feasibility of this bold business plan.

Trump Organization, the family business of US President Donald Trump, has just officially announced a new step in the telecommunications sector. Specifically, this empire will launch a mobile service branded Trump Mobile and a smartphone model called T1 with a selling price of 499 USD.

Although best known for real estate, hotels and golf courses, the Trump family has in recent years expanded into many new areas such as digital media, cryptocurrency and most recently telecommunications.

Experts say the move is also in line with the trend of expanding business ecosystems specifically for US customers.

Speaking at the launch, Donald Trump Jr., Mr. Trump’s eldest son, said the service will come with features such as telemedicine support, car rescue and unlimited texting to 100 countries, all included in a fixed monthly fee.

Despite the Trump brand, the phones and mobile services are not actually manufactured or operated by the Trump Organization. The “Trump” brand is licensed to a third party, as are many of the company’s other franchises.

Trump Mobile launched with expensive plans and a T1 smartphone labeled "Made in USA," but experts are skeptical about the feasibility of these commitments.

Trump Mobile announced it was partnering with "the three largest mobile carriers in the country" — a reference to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile — to roll out its 5G network. "We've partnered with some of the best in the industry to make sure that Americans can really get the value they deserve," Trump Jr. said.

Technology site The Verge frankly concluded that "Trump Mobile is a bad choice" with a price that is too high compared to the general level but comes with unrealistic benefits.

A Trump Organization spokesperson said phone production will take place in Alabama, California and Florida with delivery targeted for August 2025.

Trump Organization surprises by entering the telecommunications sector (Photo: Reuters).

Analyst Leo Gebbie of research firm CCS Insight noted that the US “simply doesn’t have the high-tech supply chain” needed to assemble smartphones.

"It's possible that the device will be assembled in the US using components imported from overseas. That's probably the most likely scenario for the T1 to be able to claim it's an American product," he told the BBC.

The Wall Street Journal believes that the first T1 Phones will likely be manufactured in China, because at the price of $499, only Chinese companies like Xiaomi and Oppo have comparable hardware.

“It’s absolutely impossible to produce the types of screens, memory, cameras, batteries — all of that — in the United States,” said Johns Hopkins University professor Tinglong Dai, who estimated that it would take “at least five years” for the U.S. to build the infrastructure needed.

International media sees Trump Mobile as the next step in the Trump brand commercialization strategy, leveraging the loyalty of the support community to expand into the telecommunications sector.

Still, Trump Mobile will face major hurdles in branding, pricing, shopping habits, supply chains and consumer psychology if it wants to succeed with a US-made product priced at $499.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/trump-organization-lam-dien-thoai-made-in-usa-tham-vong-co-kha-thi-20250618141625129.htm