May 14, 2026
After days of speculation that the long-delayed "Trump Phone" might not ship at all, Trump Mobile says the first orders are being shipped this week.
In an email to USA Today (1), the company said pre-orders are going out now and all pre-ordered phones should be delivered within the next several weeks.
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That's a relief to people after T1 Mobile LLC (the company behind Trump Mobile) updated its preorder terms and conditions last month to read it "does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase."
Trump Mobile initially said its phone would be released in August 2025. That date came and went, however, without a release. And recently many were wondering if it would ever actually materialize.
Trump Mobile CEO Pat O'Brien said the "delays were worth it in our minds as we are delivering an amazing product." People who wanted one of the phones were required to put down a $100 deposit. The phone will ultimately cost $499 after promotions.
Made in the USA?
When the Trump Organization announced its cellular brand last June, it touted the devices would be "made in the USA," keeping in line with Trump administration policies.
Ten days later, however, the website removed all language indicating the device was manufactured in the U.S. Instead, it substituted language that was much more vague, such as saying it was "designed with American values in mind" and it's "brought to life right here in the USA."
O'Brien said the first T1 phones were, in fact, assembled in the U.S. and models moving forward will use components primarily manufactured in America.
That wasn't the only change, though. The Verge (2) noted that the specs for the T1 phone were dialed down after the phone was introduced. The screen is now smaller (having been reduced from 6.78 inches to 6.25 inches) and all information about RAM was removed from the website.
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Skepticism then and now
Skepticism about Trump Mobile's claims was almost immediate when the company was announced.
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"As someone who's spent over a decade building a secure, privacy-first smartphone, focusing on manufacturing in the U.S., and I can say this with confidence: Producing a fully U.S.-made phone isn't something you spin up overnight," Todd Weaver, CEO of Purism, the only company currently producing a U.S.-made smartphone (3), told Fortune (4). "If the Trump phone is promising a $499 price tag with domestic manufacturing, this announcement looks to be classic vaporware."
Even now, despite O'Brien's claims, social media users are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the phone's release, with a side order (5) of the usual internet snark.
Trump Mobile has not publicly disclosed how many phones have actually been sold, how much revenue it has generated or where most of the devices are being manufactured. Despite widespread online claims of roughly 600,000 preorders, outlets including The Verge (6) have noted there's no public proof backing those figures.
Trump has been an avid proponent of reshoring U.S. manufacturing, using tariffs as a leverage to convince companies to build plants in the U.S. and attacking U.S. companies, including Apple, for manufacturing products in Asia.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Des Moines Register (1); The Verge (2),(6); Fortune (3),(4); X (5)
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Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 35 years of experience at many of the internet's biggest news outlets. In addition to his activities as a writer, reporter and editor, Chris is also a frequent panel moderator and speaker at major conferences, including CES and South by Southwest.
