‘Trump family profiteering’: Gold phone and mobile service blasted
US watchdog groups have been swift to rebuke the Trump Organisation’s announcement on Tuesday of a new mobile phone service named after US President Donald Trump and an upcoming gold smartphone.
“The limit to Trump family profiteering does not exist,” wrote the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in response to Eric Trump discussing the update on Fox Business Network on Monday.
The new wireless service, called “Trump Mobile”, advertises a US$47.45 ($73) a month plan, and will operate as a licensing agreement.
The gold smartphone will sell for US$499 ($766).
“Trump Mobile, its products and services are not designed, developed, manufactured, distributed, or sold by the Trump Organisation or any of their respective affiliates or principals,” according to a Monday statement from the Trump Organisation, which is headed by the President’s sons Eric and Donald Jr.
“T1 Mobile LLC uses the ‘Trump’ name and trademark pursuant to the terms of a limited licence agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.”
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According to that same statement, Trump Mobile will offer 5G service in partnership with existing major cellular carriers.
It will also offer unlimited talk and text and other benefits, and subscribers to the plan will receive “telehealth services, including virtual medical care, mental health support, and easy ordering and delivery for prescription medications.”
In addition to the wireless service, a gold-coloured “T1” smartphone will be available from September, according to the Trump Mobile website.
“It seems utterly unfathomable that you could build a phone with this set of specs, at this price, to be delivered in September,” according to David Pierce, editor-at-large at tech news site The Verge.
The wireless phone service is the latest in a string of products featuring several products featuring the Trump name, including the $TRUMP meme coin, watches and a limited edition electric guitar emblazoned with an American flag and eagle on the body, and Trump’s “Make America Great Again” inlaid into the neck.
The guitar features Make America Great Again on it’s neck. Photo: GetTrumpGuitars.
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Trump last year announced the sale of US$100 ($153) silver coins bearing his face, urged his supporters to spend US$59.99 ($92) for a “God Bless the USA Bible,” inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s ballad, and promoted Trump-branded sneakers at footwear show Sneaker Con.
Trump reported over $600 million in income stemming from a variety of ventures, including cryptocurrency, in a public financial disclosure report that appeared to cover the period of 2024 and which was released on Friday, according to Reuters.
The report showed that Trump made millions in royalty payments for products that feature his name and likeness, NBC News reported.
$TRUMP was released in January and not included in the filing, according NBC.
The foray into phones also raises questions about conflicts of interest, with the President’s family business entering a sector heavily regulated by federal agencies that Trump wields executive power over.
Robert Weissman, co-president of the watchdog group Public Citizen warned that: “Americans should slam down the phone in response to the latest marketing ploy from the Trump family business. Everything about this plan should tell Americans to disconnect right away”.
Weissman cast doubt on the plan for several reasons, including that the physical phone would be designed and built in the US.
Speaking on podcast The Benny Show, Eric Trump said that “eventually all the phones can be built in the United States”.
Separately, Weissman added “good luck getting a federal agency to hold the company accountable if service fails or things go off the rails”.
“We’ll need many more details to fully assess what’s going on – including the worrisome claim of offering a pharmacy and telehealth benefit – but it’s already clear this is a plan that should be canceled, immediately,” Weissman said.
