Shocker. The Trump Mobile T1 phone will not be 'Made in the USA.' We know this because the Trump Mobile website quietly altered the T1 language and now claims the phone will be "American Proud Design".
It's an interesting turn of phrase, and one that's reminiscent of how Apple describes the creation of its popular iPhone. On the packaging (it used to be on the devices), it says 'Designed by Apple in California.' Everyone knows that the products are largely assembled elsewhere, often in China, but increasingly in India and Vietnam.
"The T1 Phone isn’t just powerful—it’s brought to life right here in the USA. With American hands behind every device, we bring care, precision, and trusted quality to every detail."
'Made for America', more like it
Trump Mobile, though, is facing the hard truth of 21st-century consumer electronics: almost nothing is built in the US, and almost all the components needed to make the phone are fabricated outside the contiguous United States.
As we reported a few weeks ago, living up to the 'Made in the US' claim was challenging, at best:
"Firstly, "made in the USA" has a high bar. Professor Tinglong Dai, who teaches at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, told us: "The FTC [Federal Trade Commission] has a strict standard for “Made in USA”: all or almost all parts and processing must be domestic. Judging by that standard, the claim is unrealistic."
Will Trump finally concede to Cook that, "Yes, perhaps, it's not reasonable to demand that you build your iPhone here in America when I can't even build my own name-branded phone here in the US."
The $499 phone has been on preorder for less than two weeks, but I do wonder if anyone who was sold on the idea of a modern 'Made in the USA' handset has been requesting the return of their $100 down payment.
Will more people now wait until the phone ships "later this year" and for the first reviews to appear before they buy? That's assuming Trump Mobile offers the phone for review. For American tech media, that means Trump Mobile will need to figure out how to get the phone to the US first.
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