(!) Not Delivered

Announced at Trump Tower on June 16, 2025 -- the tenth anniversary of Trump's 2016 campaign launch -- the T1 was pitched as a gold-coloured Android smartphone at $499, built in America, as a patriotic alternative to Apple and Samsung. Buyers were asked for a $100 deposit with delivery promised for late summer 2025.

Approximately 590,000 people paid. That is $59 million. As of May 2026, not a single confirmed customer has received a phone.

The delivery date moved from August 2025 to November 2025. Then to Q1 2026. Then silence. Customer service representatives at one point blamed a US government shutdown for the delay -- a remarkable explanation for a private sector hardware company with no federal contracts.

NBC News placed a $100 deposit in August 2025 to track the story. When they called, a representative promised delivery by November 13. It did not arrive. Investigative journalist Joseph Cox reported his card was charged the wrong amount, no shipping address was collected, and he later found two unauthorised additional charges. He described it as "the worst experience I've ever faced buying a consumer electronic product."

In April 2026, Trump Mobile updated its terms of service to state that paying the deposit "does not constitute a completed purchase and does not create a binding legal contract." Refund requests: denied. Senator Elizabeth Warren and nine fellow lawmakers wrote to the FTC asking for an investigation. California's governor called it fraud.

Android Authority, which placed a deposit in 2025, wrote that it fully expected to "never get a phone" and "never see the $100 deposit again." They were correct.

Refunds: denied. Terms updated to state deposit creates no binding obligation.