590,000 people paid a $100 deposit to pre-order a Trump phone. 11 months later, they’re still waiting for delivery


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Nearly one year after the Trump Organization unveiled its mobile service provider, Trump Mobile, and its flagship smartphone, the T1, customers who pre-ordered — and partly paid for — their devices have still not received them.

And now President Donald Trump’s company says customers may never see the phone.

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Despite taking in more than $59 million in pre-order deposits from an estimated 590,000 buyers, the gold-colored phone, initially described as “Made in the USA,” still does not have an official shipping date.

President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, first announced the T1 on June 15, 2025. The smartphone retails for $499 and was designed to work with Trump Mobile’s unlimited talk, text and data service plan for $47.45 per month.

Eleven months later, no one has seen the phone.

Shipping of the T1 was initially promised by August of last year. Then it was delayed until December. When December came, customers were told they’d get their smartphones by mid-March 2026. But in March, the date was pushed back to April. 

Now, the Trump Mobile website lists no release date, and customers who put down $100 deposits remain empty-handed.

‘A deposit is not a purchase’

As the phone’s delivery has been repeatedly delayed, numerous changes have also been made to its specifications, as well as the terms and conditions of the phone service.

The Trump Organization initially described the T1 as an American-made smartphone. Now, the website says the phone will have an “American-proud design.”

Executives for Trump Mobile later said that the smartphone would be manufactured overseas and that the final assembly would take place inside the U.S. Executives also gave a glimpse of the T1 in February to The Verge, which reported that the device is not the same as the one initially shown on launch.

The lack of updates and ever-changing timeline has led to backlash online. One TikTok user who identified himself as a Trump supporter posted a video in which he profanely demands delivery of the four phones he ordered or a refund of the $100 deposit he put down for each.

Although customers eventually received a new update on April 6, it wasn’t the one they were looking for. A change to the Preorder Deposit Terms and Conditions on the Trump Mobile website now states that a “deposit is not a purchase, does not constitute acceptance of an order, does not create a contract for sale, does not transfer ownership or title interest, does not allocate or reserve specific inventory, and does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase.”

“A preorder deposit provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale,” the text reads.

The terms also say that any estimated shipping dates, timelines or production schedules announced by Trump Mobile “are non-binding estimates only.”

“Trump Mobile does not guarantee that: the Device will be commercially released; regulatory approvals (including FCC authorization) will be obtained; carrier certification will be secured; production will commence or continue; or delivery will occur within any specific timeframe,” the text adds.

Customers can request a refund through Trump Mobile’s customer service, and, according to the site’s terms, will receive a refund regardless of whether the T1 is canceled.


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Why this story matters

Roughly 590,000 people who paid $100 deposits for the Trump T1 smartphone have not received the device after nearly a year of repeated delays, and updated terms now explicitly state the company is not obligated to deliver it.

Deposits may not be refunded automatically

Customers must actively request a refund through Trump Mobile's customer service; the money is not returned automatically if the phone is never released.

Terms stripped buyer protections

Updated terms state a deposit does not constitute a purchase, does not reserve inventory and does not guarantee the device will ever be produced or shipped.

Product specs changed after purchase

The phone's description shifted from "Made in the USA" to overseas manufacturing with U.S. final assembly, and The Verge reported the device shown in February differs from the one originally announced.

SAN provides
Unbiased. Straight Facts.

Don't just take our word for it.


Certified balanced reporting

According to media bias experts at AllSides

AllSides Certified Balanced May 2025

Transparent and credible

Awarded a perfect reliability rating from NewsGuard

100/100

Welcome back to trustworthy journalism.

Find out more