Move over T-Mobile. Here comes Trump Mobile.
The Trump Organization — led by the president’s sons Eric and Donald Jr. — will launch a mobile-phone company and plans to release smartphones built in the US this summer, the family-owned company announced at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday.
Trump Mobile casts itself as “the only mobile service aligned with your values and built on reliability, freedom, and American pride.”
The $47.45 a month plan – a reference to Trump as the 45th and 47th president – includes unlimited talk, text and data, as well as roadside assistance and telehealth services, according to Trump Mobile’s website.
Some key details about the venture, including those about the family’s partner in the business and financial terms of their licensing deal, were not immediately disclosed.
“We are going to be introducing an entire package of products where people can come and they can get telemedicine on their phones for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance on their cars, unlimited texting to 100 countries around the world,” Donald Trump Jr. said.
The announcement also touted the launch of a “sleek, gold smartphone” that will be “designed and built in the United States.”
The website showeed images and specs on a T1 smartphone designed that is exptected to sell for $499.
According to images on the site, the smartphone will run on the Android operating system. It comes with a 6.8-inch screen, 16-megapixel selfie camera and 50-megapixel main camera, according to the Trump Mobile site. It also includes 12 gigabytes of RAM and 246 gigabytes of internal storage.
The push for US-made smartphones come as President Trump’s tariffs put pressure on iPhone maker Apple to shift production to the US.
Trump Mobile will work with most major phones and offers the same coverage as the three main nationwide phone service carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T, the company said.
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump will oversee the mobile venture.
The Trump Organization’s latest venture comprises a licensing agreement, similar to its line of custom Trump Bibles, diamond-encrusted watches and gold high-top sneakers.
The family has been taking heat for making money from the licensing agreements while Trump is in office.
In financial disclosures on Friday, President Trump reported more than $57 million in income from his family-linked cryptocurrency venture, as well as approximately $8 million from various licensing agreements.
The president has previously said he is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the family business.
Trump Mobile’s $47 plan is more expensive than some other budget-friendly options, like Verizon’s Visible, which sells unlimited talk, text, data and hotspot for $25 a month. Mint Mobile offers a similar 12-month plan that costs $30 monthly.
The upcoming launch comes as Trump-nominated Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr takes aim at major cell operators.
Carr has threatened to kill pending mergers for T-Mobile and Verizon if they don’t revoke their diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T did not immediately respond to noti.group’s requests for comment.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
