Trump organization drops 'made in USA' claim for T1 phone

June 26, 2025 (MLN): The Trump Organization removed a reference to its recently announced T1 smartphone being "Made in the USA," following skepticism over the feasibility of producing the device domestically at its $499 price point.

Despite the change, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization, owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, maintained that the handset would still be made in the United States.

The T1, a gold-colored smartphone introduced earlier this month by the Trump Organization, was initially advertised on the company's website with a banner stating: “Our MADE IN THE USA ‘T1 Phone’ is available for pre-order now.”

That statement has since been entirely removed from the site a change first observed by The Verge, as CNBC reported.

The T1’s webpage now uses phrases such as “American-Proud Design” and says the phone is “brought to life right here in the USA,” although it remains unclear whether that refers to actual manufacturing.

At launch, industry experts told CNBC that the T1 was likely to be manufactured in China by a local third-party company, citing the U.S.'s lack of an advanced domestic supply chain for smartphones.

Even with domestic assembly, many critical components would still need to be imported from overseas.

Nevertheless, Trump Mobile spokesperson Chris Walker told USA TODAY that “T1 phones are proudly being made in America,” dismissing contrary speculation as inaccurate.

In addition to changes regarding the phone’s origin, several of the T1’s technical specifications have been altered.

The device was initially announced to feature a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, but the website now lists a 6.25-inch screen.

A previous mention of 12 gigabytes of RAM has also been removed.

These post-announcement changes to device specifications are rare in the smartphone industry.

CNBC has reached out to the Trump Organization for clarification on the revised manufacturing claims and the updated technical specifications.

President Trump has prioritized reshoring tech manufacturing, focusing initially on semiconductor production before shifting attention to smartphones.

He has also publicly scrutinized Apple’s supply chain and urged the company to manufacture iPhones in the U.S.

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