The Trump Organization’s long-delayed Trump Mobile phone has finally begun rolling out—but with a major blunder.
The $499 gold-colored “T1” smartphone began shipping on Monday, nine months after it was originally due to be released.
The phone reportedly comes preloaded with President Donald Trump’s Truth Social app, according to NBC News.
The gold-colored smartphone faced multiple delays before finally launching, after initially being slated for an August release, then postponed to October, and later pushed back once more until this week.
Customers looking to pre-order the T1 phone must pay a $100 refundable deposit and join a waitlist for the $499 device, which NBC News describes as a “promotional price.” The service also comes with a $47.45 monthly plan.
Trump Mobile CEO Pat O’Brien told USA Today that customers who pre-ordered the phones should receive them within the coming weeks.
But the rollout has already attracted ridicule over a glaring design error: the American flag printed on the back of the phone appears to contain only 11 stripes instead of the standard 13.
The company has also quietly backed away from earlier claims that the device was “Made in the USA.”
Marketing materials now describe the phone more vaguely as being “designed with American values in mind” and “shaped by American innovation,” while emphasizing support from “American teams” involved in design and quality control.
O’Brien told USA Today that the phones are being “assembled” in the United States and would rely mostly on components produced domestically.
But technology analysts have questioned those claims. Experts cited by NBC News said the device appears strikingly similar to the HTC U24 Pro, a smartphone manufactured in Taiwan.
Tech publication The Verge reached a similar conclusion, reporting that the Trump-branded handset was likely based on the same model.
Adding to the scrutiny, CNN noted that the gold-colored handset closely resembles a Chinese-made smartphone sold at Walmart for $127.99—roughly equal to the $100 deposit many customers paid last year to reserve the Trump-branded device.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.
Trump Mobile is a business venture co-founded by Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, with Eric Trump featured prominently across the company’s website.
“Trump Mobile is going to change the game. We’re building on the movement to put America first, and we will deliver the highest levels of quality and service. Our company is based right here in the United States because we know it’s what our customers want and deserve,” Eric Trump, the Trump Organization’s executive vice president, said in a statement.
