Catenaa, Sunday, June 22, 2025- President Donald Trump’s latest business venture, a gold-colored smartphone and wireless service, is drawing scrutiny over manufacturing claims and potential conflicts of interest as the Trump Organization eyes an August rollout.
Marketed with a $47.45 monthly fee, a nod to Trump’s 45th and 47th presidencies, the device is being promoted as “built in the United States.”
But experts and analysts remain skeptical.
Technology specialists say the US lacks the high-tech supply chains required to manufacture smartphones entirely domestically, raising doubts about the feasibility of the plan.
Eric Trump told a podcast that “eventually” the phones could be made entirely in the US, implying the initial models may include imported parts.
Analysts believe the device will likely be assembled domestically using foreign components, allowing the company to brand it as American-made without fully meeting that standard.
The Trump Organization has not disclosed the business partner responsible for producing the phone or managing the mobile service, which promises discounted international calling for military families and US-based customer support.
Critics also raise ethics concerns, noting the president’s influence over trade policy and his family’s financial stake in the project.
Trump has placed his assets in a trust controlled by his children, though watchdogs say that doesn’t resolve all potential conflicts.
The Trump brand has boomed since his political rise, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $5.1 billion, buoyed by Truth Social and merchandise sales. Reaction to the phone has been mixed, with both enthusiasm and ridicule across social media.
