NO SIGNAL

Reps Beg FTC to Investigate Golden ‘Trump Phones’

Democratic lawmakers accuse Trump Mobile of engaging in “deceptive practices.”

A group of Democratic congressmembers is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to look into the legitimacy of the Trump family’s new smartphone venture, Trump Mobile.

Co-led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Robert Garcia, the group of 11 lawmakers across the House and Senate called on the FTC to investigate the company, created by the president’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., for “deceptive practices.”

“We write today regarding questions about false advertising and deceptive practices by Trump Mobile, and to seek information on how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) intends to address any potential violations of consumer protection law given the inherent conflicts of interest presented by the company’s relationship to President Donald Trump,” the letter, shared in a press release, begins.

The letter alleges that Trump Mobile’s flagship product, the golden “T1″ smartphone, misled consumers with its initial marketing claims of being “Made in the USA”—claims that were quietly removed from the company’s website within days of its announcement in June 2025.

“To claim that a product is ‘Made in USA,’” the letter reads, “marketers must meet a very specific set of FTC standards, violations of which come with civil penalties.”

The website instead replaced its explicit “Made in USA” branding with much vaguer phrasing, switching to taglines like “American-Proud Design” and “brought to life right here in the USA.”

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In the meantime, the company has been selling refurbished iPhones and Samsung devices on its website, which are manufactured in China and by a Korean company, respectively.

“These are potentially misleading characterizations for devices that are manufactured overseas,” the letter says.

In August, tech publication The Verge identified the T1 model phone displayed in promotional social media images as a Samsung Galaxy S25, which differed from the phone model shown in promotional materials from June that looked more similar to iPhone Pro models.

The letter also asks the FTC to investigate Trump Mobile’s failure to deliver its product to consumers by its promised deadline, despite collecting $100 deposits from customers for the $499 phone since August.

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The smartphone’s release has been delayed twice. It was pushed back to the end of 2025 after failing to meet its August deadline, then delayed again to late January—citing complications from last year’s government shutdown, which a majority of Americans blame Trump and Republicans for.

The letter concludes by calling on the FTC to answer nine questions by February 15, including whether the company may have deceived consumers and whether the agency acts independently of potential political influence from the White House.

The FTC and Trump Mobile did not immediately return requests for comment.

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Vic VerbalaitisNight Breaking News Reporter

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