About a year after its announcement in June 2025, Trump Mobile announced that the phone “will begin shipping this week,” noting that those who pre-ordered the device would receive an email containing an update about their orders. The company also published an advertising video showing the new design of the phone.
But, according to PCMag, doubts remain. The company had previously announced that the phone would be released in August or September, before the date was postponed to October, then to November or December, justifying this by attempts to manufacture the phone in the United States. However, the year ended without launching the device, while the company attributed the delay to the government closure that lasted 43 days.
In February, company officials acknowledged that the phone would not be manufactured in the United States, but they said that the device had been redesigned with better specifications, and they promised that it would arrive soon, perhaps in late March.
Today, Trump Mobile CEO Pat O’Brien told USA Today that the company is finally ready to start fulfilling pre-orders “within the next few weeks,” which means some prepaid customers may face an additional wait.
The long delay sparked a wave of reports accusing Trump Mobile of possibly being a “scam,” after the company published new terms and conditions for pre-orders, stating that the deposit amount “does not constitute a purchase, does not constitute acceptance of an order, does not create a sales contract, and does not guarantee that the device will be produced or available for purchase.”
Customers who pre-ordered the phone had paid $100, with this amount being deducted from the phone’s price of $499 when shipped.
O’Brien defended the delays, telling USA Today that the wait “was worth it,” because, in his words, the company would deliver an “amazing product.” He also claimed that the first batches of the T1 phone were assembled in the United States, and that future models will rely more on components manufactured within the country.
Meanwhile, Trump Mobile continues to promote the phone at an offering price of $499, saying it was “designed with American values in mind.” But users who want to purchase it are still required to join a waiting list.
Last June, the company removed the phrase “Made here in the United States,” and replaced it with a more general phrase: “Proud American design.”
