How Much of Trump's 'Built in America' Phone Is Actually Built in America?

The Trump Organization unveiled Trump Mobile, “a next-generation wireless provider with bold ambitions and a customer-first mission,” on Monday. The organization also teased the T1 Phone—which is slated for an August release and available for preorder—as a “gold smartphone engineered for performance and proudly designed and built in the United States.” The origins of the phone seem to be more of an aspiration than a reality.

Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that “eventually, all the phones can be built in the United States of America” (emphasis added), per The Wall Street Journal. Given the phone’s hardware and $499 price, the Journal determined that the phones will likely be imported from China because “only Chinese makers like Xiaomi and Oppo have hardware to match.” (President Donald Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on foreign-made phones just last month.)

Max Weinbach, an analyst at market research firm Creative Strategies, also believes that the T1 Phones are Chinese in origin. Based on its hardware, Weinbach says the T1 Phone is a custom variant of the Wingtech REVVL 7 Pro 5G (the T-Mobile version retails for about $170). Wingtech itself is a Chinese semiconductor designer and manufacturer partially owned by the Chinese Communist Party that is listed in the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List, which “identifies persons or addresses of persons reasonably believed to be involved…in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.”

The Trump Organization also announced Trump Mobile as a “transformational” cellular service that will “deliver top-tier connectivity…for our nation’s hardest-working people.” Eric Trump said he’s excited to provide hard-working Americans “a wireless service that’s affordable, reflects their values, and delivers reliable quality they can count on.” While “The 47 Plan” is more affordable than major service providers and will provide equivalent coverage to them (since it uses their cell towers), it is handily beaten by other mobile virtual network operators on a gigabyte-per-dollar basis: Trump Mobile’s 47 Plan provides unlimited talk, text, and data for $47.45 a month, while Visible, Mint Mobile, and Boost Mobile offer unlimited data plans for $35, $30, and $25, respectively, according to Tom’s Guide.

Donald Trump Jr. said Trump Mobile is “building on the movement to put America first.” In a departure from the president’s protectionist policies, putting “America first” apparently means sourcing components from abroad and assembling smartphones in China.

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