Questions are mounting over whether hundreds of thousands of customers who paid deposits for the Trump Mobile “T1” phone last year will receive refunds, as Democratic lawmakers urge federal regulators to investigate the venture for possible consumer protection violations.A group of Democratic lawmakers has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to examine Trump Mobile, a phone business launched by President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump. The request centres on concerns that customers may have been misled after paying $100 deposits for a phone that was promised months ago but has yet to be delivered.Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, along with 10 other Democratic members of Congress, sent a letter to the FTC questioning whether Trump Mobile engaged in deceptive advertising, or even fraud. The lawmakers specifically raised concerns over claims that the T1 phone would be “Made in the USA”, a description that has since been quietly removed from the company’s website.Less than a month after the product launch in June, references to US manufacturing disappeared and were replaced with the phrase “American-proud design”.
The lawmakers also asked whether consumers were misled into paying deposits for a product that has not materialised. NBC News placed a $100 deposit in August to track the phone’s progress. In October, customer service staff promised a ship date of November 13, which passed without delivery. A later update blamed delays on the government shutdown. This week, another operator said the phone was now expected to ship “sometime in Q1 2026”, claiming it was “in the final stages of certification and field testing”.In their letter, lawmakers urged the FTC to investigate “bait-and-switch tactics involving deposits for products never delivered”. They added that the agency’s response would be a test of its independence and commitment to “protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices”.Online criticism has intensified. California governor Gavin Newsom’s office posted on X and called MAGA journalists to investigate the matter: “We call on Nick Shirley, Benny Johnson, and Nick Sortor — who some say are the greatest investigators of our time — to use their powers of journalism to investigate this rampant fraud being perpetrated upon the American people!”Ron Filipkowski also wrote that “600,000 suckers pre-ordered Trump Mobile phones which were supposed to be made in the US and delivered in September”, adding that customers still do not have their phones and are receiving conflicting explanations. Social media started speculating that the phone is being manufactured in China.
What is the Trump phone?
The Trump Mobile T1 gold smartphone is a $499 device first announced in June 2025 and marketed with a patriotic theme and wireless plans. Hundreds of thousands of customers paid a $100 deposit, but the phone has repeatedly missed launch deadlines and still has not shipped as of January 2026.
