Latest news with #TrumpPhone
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. ___
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Trump's Drop 'Made in the USA' Label for New Phone and a Debate Ensues: How to Define 'Made'?
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 USA. 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 preorder 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 USA.' 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.' 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 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 twenty-five percent tariffs on devices because of its plans to make most of its US iPhones in India.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. ___
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated 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. ___
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
The Website for Trump's All-American Smartphone No Longer Promises It's 'MADE IN THE USA'
Earlier this month, the Trump Organization revealed its latest profit-making scheme: the T1, a golden iPhone knockoff that has aptly been dubbed the 'Trump phone.' Alongside the new device, the Trumps launched a wireless mobile network called T1 Mobile, which purports to offer unlimited talk, text, and data. Given that Trump is the 'America First' president, it was very on-brand for the company to promise that the devices would be manufactured domestically. Given that manufacturing a functioning modern smartphone in the US is prohibitively expensive, that always seemed like a lofty promise. Now, it would appear that the Trumps may have gone back on that promise. The Verge first spotted the organization behind the phone, Trump Mobile, has now been 'scrubbed of all language indicating the phone is to be made in the USA.' A large website banner that previously stated 'MADE IN THE USA' has now been replaced with decidedly more vague language. 'Premium Performance. Proudly American,' the site now states. The Wayback Machine shows the site's original language, however: The site now also states that the phones have been 'brought to life right here in the USA' and that 'American hands' are 'behind every device,' language that typically indicates a device was assembled, rather than manufactured, in the U.S. After the media noticed the changes on the Trump Mobile site, a spokesperson for the company told USA Today that 'T1 phones are proudly being made in America' and 'speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.' Eric Trump, the president's son, previously hinted that the devices might not actually be made domestically. During an interview earlier this month, the younger Trump noted that 'eventually [emphasis added] all the phones will be built in the United States.' Earlier this month, commentators predicted that the phone would probably be made in China. Gizmodo reached out to Trump Mobile for more information. It is, of course, still possible that the Trump phones will 'eventually' be manufactured in America, but I wouldn't hold my breath. There are very few phones that are actually made in the U.S. because it is so damn expensive to do that. Purism, which Gizmodo previously reviewed, is one such company, but it is the outlier, not the norm. And despite that company's decade-long effort to bring its Liberty Phone to the mainstream, it still retails for $2,000. Purism founder Todd Weaver recently told the Wall Street Journal, 'Even if the specs were less impressive, it would take many, many years to be fully sourced out of the U.S. and not practical.' He explained that we just don't 'have factories here building application processors, high-end displays, or most of the other things in your smartphone.' It is much more cost-efficient to make stuff in Asia, where there are limited to no labor laws and people are willing to work in slavish working conditions because they have no choice. It seems likely that's the sort of worker Trump values, not the kind who is used to air conditioning, decent wages, and consistent lunch breaks.
