President Donald Trump’s flashy new desk phone sparked stunned and mocking reactions after it was spotted Wednesday inside the Oval Office.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins shared a photo captured by Fox News correspondent and pool reporter Peter Doocy. The black Cisco phone features gold-colored trim, the presidential seal and an image of the White House. The words “THE PRESIDENT” appear above the keypad, while “Donald J. Trump” is written underneath.
“Our taxes are being spent on the dumbest stuff,” Vanity Fair special correspondent and “Fast Politics” host Molly Jong-Fast wrote.
British infectious disease physician Dr. Neil Stone added: “This phone is hilarious.”
“Americans can’t afford to gas up their cars, but they’re paying for the President to get a gold-plated new phone,” wrote J.J. Abbott, a Pennsylvania-based media strategist.
Other users mocked the phone's resemblance to a toy.
“Fisher-Price really knocked it out of the park with this one,” the popular X account @aintscarylarry posted to its over 100,000 followers.
“Was it made in China?” another user asked.
Democratic strategist Chris D. Jackson accused Trump of wasting money on “frivolous” items, while political commentator Kevin Walling summed up his reaction in one word: “Priorities!”
Reuters correspondent David Shepardson confirmed to his social media followers that the phone was manufactured by Cisco.
“I've asked all the major US phone companies who gave @POTUS the phone,” he wrote, later adding, “The phone companies don't make handsets -- this is from @Cisco.”
