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Euronews
21 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
What is the Trump phone and does it promise too much?
US President Donald Trump's new gold smartphone has scrapped messaging that it is made in America, according to reports. Here is everything we know about the Trump phone. Earlier this month, the President launched Trump Mobile, a wireless carrier and the T1 Phone 8002, which the Trump Organisation advertised at first as being 'made in the USA". The website now says the $499 (€426) smartphone has an 'American-proud design' with 'American hands behind every device'. What do we know about the phone? The Verge also reported that the specifications of the phone have changed, from a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen to a smaller one of 6.25 inches. The phone now should have 256 gigabytes of storage, whereas the old advertising had it at 12 gigabytes of RAM. The phone will also have an in-screen fingerprint sensor and artificial intelligence face unlock, three rear cameras with up to 50 megapixels and one front camera. The phone is available for pre-order with a deposit of $100 (€85.37) and will be connected to the Trump Mobile network. The website said the phone was supposed to be available by September but the site now says it will be ready 'later this year". Trump's sons Eric and Don Jr. announced earlier this month that they would offer mobile phone plans for $47.45 (€40.51) a month under the mobile network, a reference to their father's status as the 45th and 47th president. The call centre, they said, will be in the US, too. A spokesperson for Trump told CNBC that the phones would still be made in the US and that any speculation otherwise is inaccurate. Euronews Next has also followed up with Trump's team but didn't receive an immediate reply. However, some experts have questioned if the phone is too good to be true, as the $499 (€426) phone is too cheap for the specs it offers and some parts of the phone are not made in the US. The smartphone is the product of the recently founded mobile phone network Trump Mobile, which is operated by the Trump Organization. The Trump family has flown the American flag before with Trump-branded products of suspicious origin, including its 'God Bless the USA' Bibles, which an Associated Press investigation last year showed were printed in China. In May, President Trump threatened smartphone supplier Apple and other US-based companies with a hefty 25 per cent tariff if they manufactured their phones anywhere outside the US. In response, Apple is reportedly expanding its iPhone supply chain through a $1.5 billion (€1.28 billion) investment for a component plant outside of Chennai, India.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Trumps drop 'Made in the USA' claim for new phone and a debate ensues: How to define 'made'?
By Bernard Condon NEW YORK: When the Trump family unveiled a new phone before a giant American flag at its headquarters earlier this month, the pitch was simple and succinct, packed with pure patriotism: "Made in the U.S.A." The Trumps are apparently having second thoughts. How about "proudly American"? Those are the two words that have replaced the "Made in the USA" pitch that just a few days ago appeared on the website where customers can pre-order the so-called T-1 gold-toned phones with an American flag etched on the back. Elsewhere on the site, other vague terms are now being used, describing the $499 phone as boasting an "American-Proud Design" and "brought to life right here in the U.S.A." The Federal Trade Commission requires that items labeled " Made in USA " be "all or virtually all" produced in the U.S. and several firms have been sued over misusing the term. The Trump Organization has not explained the change and has not responded to a request for comment. Neither did an outside public relations firm handling the Trumps' mobile phone business , including a request to confirm a statement made to another media outlet. "T1 phones are proudly being made in America," said Trump Mobile spokesman Chris Walker, according to USA Today. "Speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate." The language change on the website was first reported by the news site The Verge. An expert on cell phone technology, IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo, said he's not surprised the Trump family has dropped the "Made in the USA" label because it's nearly impossible to build one here given the higher cost and lack of infrastructure to do so. But, of course, you can claim to do it. "Whether it is possible or not to build this phone in the US depends on what you consider 'build,'" Jeronimo said. "If it's a question of assembling components and targeting small volumes, I suppose it's somehow possible. You can always get the components from China and assemble them by hand somewhere." "You're going to have phones that are made right here in the United States of America," said Trump's son Eric to Fox News recently, adding, "It's about time we bring products back to our great country." The Trump family has flown the American flag before with Trump-branded products of suspicious origin, including its "God Bless the USA" Bibles, which an Associated Press investigation last year showed were printed in China. The Trump phone is part of a bigger family mobile business plan designed to tap into MAGA enthusiasm for the president. The two sons running the business, Eric and Don Jr., announced earlier this month that they would offer mobile phone plans for $47.45 a month, a reference to their father's status as the 45th and 47th president. The call center, they said, will be in the U.S., too. "You're not calling up call centers in Bangladesh," Eric Trump said on Fox News. "We're doing it out of St. Louis, Missouri." The new service has been blasted by government ethics experts for a conflict of interest, given that President Donald Trump oversees the Federal Communications Commission that regulates the business and is investigating phone service companies that are now Trump Mobile rivals. Trump has also threatened to punish cell phone maker Apple, now a direct competitor, threatening to slap 25% tariffs on devices because of its plans to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Woburn-based rare earths refiner Phoenix Tailings eyes IPO within 3 years
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up GOVERNMENT Advertisement Federal judge orders US Labor Department to keep Job Corps running during lawsuit Evan Simpson, who was studying to become a medical assistant at a Job Corps center in Iowa before the Labor Department ordered a shutdown, at home in Chicago on June 16. AKILAH TOWNSEND/NYT A federal judge on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction to stop the US Department of Labor from shutting down Job Corps, a residential program for low-income youth, until a lawsuit against the move is resolved. The injunction bolsters a temporary restraining order US District Judge Andrew Carter issued earlier this month, when he directed the Labor Department to cease removing Job Corps students from housing, terminating jobs, or otherwise suspending the nationwide program without congressional approval. Founded in 1964, Job Corps aims to help teenagers and young adults who struggled to finish traditional high school and find jobs. The program provides tuition-free housing at residential centers, training, meals and health care. 'Once Congress has passed legislation stating that a program like the Job Corps must exist, and set aside funding for that program, the DOL is not free to do as it pleases; it is required to enforce the law as intended by Congress,' Carter wrote in the ruling. Department of Labor spokesperson Aaron Britt said the department was working closely with the Department of Justice to evaluate the injunction. 'We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law,' Britt wrote in an email to the Associated Press. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement CELLPHONES Trump Mobile drops 'Made in USA' smartphone claims from website In this photo illustration, an iPhone displays the website for The Trump Organization's mobile phone service and a Trump-branded smartphone. Joe Raedle/Getty Trump Mobile, the new cellular service venture introduced by the Trump Organization last week, has scrubbed online references that originally promised its first mobile handset, the T1 Phone, would be produced in the United States. As reported by the Verge on Wednesday, the Trump Mobile website quietly removed language stating that the smartphone — due later this year — is 'made in the USA.' Instead, the page now includes less specific wording that says the T1 Phone has been 'designed with American values in mind.' According to the description, the T1 Phone is 'brought to life right here in the USA' and 'with American hands behind every device.' But the website no longer asserts that it will be manufactured domestically. A representative for the Trump Organization didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement to USA Today, spokesperson Chris Walker rebutted the idea that production plans have changed. 'T1 phones are proudly being made in America,' Walker said, adding that 'speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.' — BLOOMBERG NEWS Advertisement ECONOMY Fed's Collins says July is likely too early for interest-rate cut Susan Collins, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins said she sees at least one interest-rate cut this year, but indicated July would be too early for such a move. 'We're only going to have really one more month of data before the July meeting,' Collins said Thursday in a phone interview with Bloomberg News. 'I expect to want to see more information than that.' Fed officials kept interest rates steady last week, arguing there's still elevated uncertainty over how the economy will react to a set of policy changes, particularly those around trade. Two Fed governors, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, signaled after that decision they might back lowering rates as early as next month. But most policymakers who spoke this week made clear they aren't seriously considering a move in July. And Collins, who's a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee in 2025, joined that group. — BLOOMBERG NEWS OIL Shell says it has no intention of making an offer for BP The Shell Oil logo in front of a Shell gas station in Pittsburgh on June 25. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press Shell Plc said it has no intention of making a takeover offer for BP Plc, refuting an earlier report that two of Europe's biggest companies were in active merger talks. The announcement quells speculation that the UK's two oil majors would end up combining, following several years of poor performance from BP and rising pressure from activist shareholder Elliot Investment Management. Shell's statement means it is bound by the UK Takeover Code, largely preventing it from submitting an offer for BP for six months. 'In response to recent media speculation, Shell wishes to clarify that it has not been actively considering making an offer for BP,' it said in a statement on Thursday. The company 'has not made an approach to, and no talks have taken place with, BP with regards to a possible offer.' — BLOOMBERG NEWS Advertisement MEDIA Trump threatens to sue The Times and CNN over Iran reporting President Donald Trump spoke with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday in Washington. Evan Vucci/Associated Press President Trump on Wednesday threatened to sue The New York Times and CNN for publishing articles about a preliminary intelligence report that said the American attack on Iran had set back the country's nuclear program by only a few months. In a letter to the Times, a personal lawyer for the president said the newspaper's article had damaged Trump's reputation and demanded that the news organization 'retract and apologize for' the piece, which the letter described as 'false,' 'defamatory' and 'unpatriotic.' The Times, in a response Thursday, rejected Trump's demands, noting that Trump administration officials had subsequently confirmed the existence of the report, issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and its findings. 'No retraction is needed,' the paper's lawyer, David McCraw, wrote in a letter. 'No apology will be forthcoming,' he added. 'We told the truth to the best of our ability. We will continue to do so.' A spokesperson for CNN, which was the first outlet to report elements of the preliminary report, confirmed that the network had responded to a similar legal threat from the president's team. Trump and his allies have sharply criticized the Times and CNN in recent days for publishing articles about the preliminary intelligence report, whose conclusions ran counter to the president's assertion that the American attack had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear program. — NEW YORK TIMES Advertisement GOVERNMENT Trump administration to review contracts with consulting firms The General Services Administration building in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press The Trump administration is asking consulting firms to justify their federal contracts as part of far-reaching efforts to reduce waste in federal spending, according to a letter obtained by Bloomberg News. The US General Services Administration said in a letter dated Thursday that it is soliciting information from the firms about their contracts to help 'critically evaluate which engagements deliver genuine value and demonstrable returns to the American taxpayer, and therefore merit external support, and which should be internalized to ensure we are responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and avoid unnecessary spending.' The agency sent the letters to firms such as AlixPartners LLP, McKinsey & Co. Inc., Ernst & Young LLP, Alvarez & Marsal Inc., Boston Consulting Group Inc., and FTI Consulting Inc., according to a person familiar with the review. The GSA said in the letter its 'baseline presumption is that most, if not all, of these contracted services are not core to agency missions.' The agency asked the firms to provide 'a comprehensive overview of your firm's federal engagements, including spending patterns and pricing structures across all active and historical agreements,' in order to conduct its review. The firms were given a July 11 deadline to submit the information. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the letter. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Trumps drop ‘Made in the USA' label for $499 smartphone: ‘Proudly American'
When the Trump family unveiled a new phone before a giant American flag at its headquarters earlier this month, the pitch was simple and succinct, packed with pure patriotism: 'Made in the U.S.A.' The Trumps are apparently having second thoughts. How about 'proudly American'? Advertisement Those are the two words that have replaced the 'Made in the USA' pitch that just a few days ago appeared on the website where customers can pre-order the so-called T-1 gold-toned phones with an American flag etched on the back. 3 Trump Mobile unveiled the $499 T-1 gold-toned phones with an American flag etched on the back last week. Trump Mobile Elsewhere on the site, other vague terms are now being used, describing the $499 phone as boasting an 'American-Proud Design' and 'brought to life right here in the U.S.A.' Advertisement The Federal Trade Commission requires that items labeled 'Made in USA' be 'all or virtually all' produced in the US and several firms have been sued over misusing the term. The Trump Organization has not explained the change and has not responded to a request for comment. Neither did an outside public relations firm handling the Trumps' mobile phone business, including a request to confirm a statement made to another media outlet. 'T1 phones are proudly being made in America,' said Trump Mobile spokesman Chris Walker, according to USA Today. 'Speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.' 3 Analysts say it's nearly impossible to build a smartphone here given the higher cost and lack of infrastructure to do so. Getty Images Advertisement The language change on the website was first reported by the news site The Verge. An expert on cell phone technology, IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo, said he's not surprised the Trump family has dropped the 'Made in the USA' label because it's nearly impossible to build one here given the higher cost and lack of infrastructure to do so. But, of course, you can claim to do it. Advertisement 'Whether it is possible or not to build this phone in the US depends on what you consider 'build,'' Jeronimo said. 'If it's a question of assembling components and targeting small volumes, I suppose it's somehow possible. You can always get the components from China and assemble them by hand somewhere.' 'You're going to have phones that are made right here in the United States of America,' said Trump's son Eric to Fox News recently, adding, 'It's about time we bring products back to our great country.' The Trump family has flown the American flag before with Trump-branded products of suspicious origin, including its 'God Bless the USA' Bibles, which an Associated Press investigation last year showed were printed in China. 3 The Trump phone is part of a bigger family mobile business plan designed to tap into MAGA enthusiasm for the president. Above, Eric Trump, left and Don Trump Jr., far right, unveil the phone. Robert Mecea The Trump phone is part of a bigger family mobile business plan designed to tap into MAGA enthusiasm for the president. The two sons running the business, Eric and Don Jr., announced earlier this month that they would offer mobile phone plans for $47.45 a month, a reference to their father's status as the 45th and 47th president. The call center, they said, will be in the US, too. 'You're not calling up call centers in Bangladesh,' Eric Trump said on Fox News. 'We're doing it out of St. Louis, Missouri.' The new service has been blasted by government ethics experts for a conflict of interest, given that President Donald Trump oversees the Federal Communications Commission that regulates the business and is investigating phone service companies that are now Trump Mobile rivals. Trump has also threatened to punish cell phone maker Apple, now a direct competitor, threatening to slap 25% tariffs on devices because of its plans to make most of its US iPhones in India.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trumps drop ‘Made in the USA' label for new phone and a debate ensues: How to define ‘made'?
NEW YORK (AP) — When the Trump family unveiled a new phone before a giant American flag at its headquarters earlier this month, the pitch was simple and succinct, packed with pure patriotism: 'Made in the U.S.A.' The Trumps are apparently having second thoughts. How about 'proudly American'? Those are the two words that have replaced the 'Made in the USA' pitch that just a few days ago appeared on the website where customers can pre-order the so-called T-1 gold-toned phones with an American flag etched on the back. Elsewhere on the site, other vague terms are now being used, describing the $499 phone as boasting an 'American-Proud Design' and 'brought to life right here in the U.S.A.' The Federal Trade Commission requires that items labeled 'Made in USA' be 'all or virtually all' produced in the U.S. and several firms have been sued over misusing the term. The Trump Organization has not explained the change and has not responded to a request for comment. Neither did an outside public relations firm handling the Trumps' mobile phone business, including a request to confirm a statement made to another media outlet. 'T1 phones are proudly being made in America,' said Trump Mobile spokesman Chris Walker, according to USA Today. 'Speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.' The language change on the website was first reported by the news site The Verge. An expert on cell phone technology, IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo, said he's not surprised the Trump family has dropped the 'Made in the USA' label because it's nearly impossible to build one here given the higher cost and lack of infrastructure to do so. But, of course, you can claim to do it. 'Whether it is possible or not to build this phone in the US depends on what you consider 'build,'' Jeronimo said. 'If it's a question of assembling components and targeting small volumes, I suppose it's somehow possible. You can always get the components from China and assemble them by hand somewhere.' 'You're going to have phones that are made right here in the United States of America,' said Trump's son Eric to Fox News recently, adding, 'It's about time we bring products back to our great country.' The Trump family has flown the American flag before with Trump-branded products of suspicious origin, including its 'God Bless the USA' Bibles, which an Associated Press investigation last year showed were printed in China. The Trump phone is part of a bigger family mobile business plan designed to tap into MAGA enthusiasm for the president. The two sons running the business, Eric and Don Jr., announced earlier this month that they would offer mobile phone plans for $47.45 a month, a reference to their father's status as the 45th and 47th president. The call center, they said, will be in the U.S., too. 'You're not calling up call centers in Bangladesh,' Eric Trump said on Fox News. 'We're doing it out of St. Louis, Missouri.' The new service has been blasted by government ethics experts for a conflict of interest, given that President Donald Trump oversees the Federal Communications Commission that regulates the business and is investigating phone service companies that are now Trump Mobile rivals. Trump has also threatened to punish cell phone maker Apple, now a direct competitor, threatening to slap 25% tariffs on devices because of its plans to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India. ___
