An ex-GOP congressman couldn't believe what he heard when learning about the Trump family's gold "Made in USA" phone that's starting to sound like it could be a scam.
"Company executives confirmed the phone would actually be manufactured overseas with only the final assembly of about 10 components happening in Miami," Adam Kinzinger, a former GOP lawmaker and outspoken Trump critic, said in a video he posted on X on Tuesday.
Kinzinger was talking about Eric and Donald Trump Jr.'s venture to sell a gold Trump phone, the T1, which was marketed as made and manufactured in the United States with wireless service from Trump Mobile. The two sons collected an estimated $59 million in deposits from an estimated 590,000 buyers — figures that Trump Mobile executives have refused to confirm. As of this month, not a single confirmed customer has received the device.
"Trump Mobile quietly updated the fine print on its pre-order page to say the $100 deposit doesn't guarantee that a device will be produced or made available for purchase," Kinzinger said. "I'm sorry, what?"
On top of that, "industry analysts have since identified the likely manufacturer as Wingtech," a Chinese company, Kinzinger said. Analysts at Creative Strategies identified the T1 as likely a reskinned version of the Wingtech Revvl 7 Pro 5G, a device already sold by T-Mobile in the United States, at roughly a third of the Trump phone's $499 price tag.
Kinzinger pointed out that the "made in USA language quietly disappeared from the website" that promotes the phone, and was replaced "with vague phrases like 'designed with American values.'"
Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren, have called on the FTC to investigate the venture for alleged "bait-and-switch tactics" and false advertising over the "Made in USA" claim. The FTC has not confirmed whether an investigation has been opened. Trump Mobile says deposits are refundable on request, though the updated terms also give the company the right to cancel the device entirely and refund only the original deposit amount.
While some government agencies have been slow to investigate, Kinzinger said to "watch the customer base because the people who paid for a gold Trump phone are among the most loyal supporters this president has, and he's just openly and shamelessly ripping them off."
