Trump family-branded gold $499 smartphone facing yet another setback

Donald Trump Jr. speaks during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the death of Charlie Kirk, in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., December 21, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin O'Hara

Estimates on President Donald Trump's net worth vary, but according to Forbes, it went from $3.9 billion in 2024 to $7.3 billion in September 2025. In the past — before he became a prominent figure in U.S. politics — Trump's profits came primarily from his real estate assets. But Trump expanded his business activities with the tech-oriented Trump Media & Technology Group (which is separate from the Trump Organization and announced a merger with TAE Technologies in December) and Trump Mobile.

The family-owned Trump Mobile (which is run by President Trump's sons Eric and Don Jr.) planned to release a gold-colored smartphone by the end of 2025 and sell it for $499. But according to The Guardian's Joanna Partridge, the phone's release is facing a likely delay.

"The Trump Organization licensed its name to launch a mobile service and the device in June, in the latest monetization of his presidency by a family business empire now run by Trump's sons," Partridge reports in an article published on December 31. "In the latest setback for the project, Trump Mobile said there was a 'strong possibility' the handset would not be delivered this month, the Financial Times reported. The company's customer service team told the FT that the recent government shutdown had disrupted shipments."

Trump Mobile is using overtly political messaging to market the T1 smartphone, describing it as "proudly American."

"Etched with an American flag," Partridge observes, "the T1 was initially promised in August — and the website still states it will be released 'later this year.' Customers are required to pay a $100 payment to pre-order the device. The T1 launch came shortly after Trump criticized Apple over its plans to move the production of iPhones destined for the U.S. market from China to India."

Partridge notes, however, that considering the "low levels of domestic smartphone production in the U.S.," it "remains unclear who could manufacture the T1 handset."

Read Joanna Partridge's full article for The Guardian at this link.

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