President Donald Trump’s smartphone venture, Trump Mobile, appears to be engaging in some apparent mischief on X.
Trump Mobile first revealed intentions to introduce a “made in America” smartphone named the T1, but subtly eliminated that wording from its site in June.
On Thursday, Aug. 19, Trump Mobile posted a new promotion for the device on X, urging customers to “Preorder today & be among the first to experience it.” The announcement claims the phone features a “gold finish” and “big power,” along with an image of the device. Well, a device at least.
Android users quickly identified the T1 as merely a manipulated picture of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Users on X also noted that the so-called gold finish is evidently a phone case manufactured by the accessory brand Spigen.
A Community Notes fact-check of the post mentions: “The phone in the image is a photoshopped Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in a case by the accessory company Spigen, it is not the ‘T1 Phone’. The Spigen logo remains visible beneath the digitally superimposed American Flag.”
Interestingly, the Trump Mobile website actually includes an image of the purported phone that looks entirely different from this recent picture. In the website photo, the T1 showcases three diagonal rear camera modules similar to a Pro-level iPhone, instead of the vertical arrangement seen on a Samsung device.
The T1 was announced earlier this year as a $499 Android phone featuring a 6.25-inch AMOLED display, 256GB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery. Despite assertions that the T1 would be manufactured in America (President Trump has famously encouraged Apple to relocate iPhone production to the U.S.), the nation lacks the manufacturing capabilities to produce some critical components of the phone. Online investigators have also uncovered that the smartphone’s claimed specifications closely resemble those of an inexpensive device produced in China.
At this juncture, it remains uncertain what the anticipated T1 smartphone will actually look like, or to what degree it will be produced or assembled within the United States. Therefore, unless you were particularly keen on a budget phone featuring gold accents and Trump branding, you might want to consider other options for a budget Android handset.