The Trump Organization has announced a self-branded smartphone and mobile service for “real Americans” that aims to take on Apple and Samsung.
The US President’s business organisation – run by his eldest sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump – said on Monday that the gold coloured ‘T1 Phone’ will be available in August for $499, while the phone plan will cost $47.45 a month.
The new mobile venture will include call centres based in the United States and phones made in America, the organisation said.
“Trump Mobile is going to change the game, we’re building on the movement to put America first, and we will deliver the highest levels of quality and service,” Mr Trump Jr. said.
“Our company is based right here in the United States because we know it’s what our customers want and deserve.”
The Trump family, long known for its real estate empire, luxury hotels, and golf resorts, has in recent years ventured into newer arenas including digital media and cryptocurrency.
The Trump Organization, which is the main holding entity for most of the US president’s business ventures, said ahead of Trump’s inauguration that control of the company would be handed to his children, replicating the arrangement from his first term, though concerns about potential conflicts of interest remain.
“No one who has been paying attention could miss that President Trump considers the presidency a vehicle to grow his family’s wealth,” said Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Harvard University. “Maybe this example will help more come to see this undeniable truth.”
The Trump Organisation is lining up the T1 smartphone as a direct competitor to devices from established giants like Apple and Samsung.
Both competitors face issues with costly tariffs imposed by President Trump, while the Trump Organization’s latest venture could further benefit from regulators appointed by the president.
“There’s been kind of an opening for this type of device, if you will, simply because not just Apple, but Samsung devices to a certain extent as well, have really gotten so expensive in the moment in time and we haven’t really seen that big of a measurable increase in utility,” said Brian Mulberry, a client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management.
“I think it’s going to get probably some extra attention just because it has Trump’s name on it but I think the marketplace has been ripe for this type of competition.”
Additional reporting from agencies.
