The $499 Trump-branded phone at the center of a MAGA revolt has sparked fresh scrutiny for a slick promo video that appears to rely heavily on AI.
Trump Mobile had moved quickly to quell a growing rebellion from paying customers earlier this week, releasing a video on Wednesday to announce that those who had put down a deposit would finally start receiving their T1 Phones soon, with shipping to start “this week.”
The move appeared to be a direct response to customers increasingly questioning whether they’d ever get the phones. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.’s phone venture repeatedly delayed shipment of its “T1” smartphone, from August to October and now to May.
Now, a newly released glimpse of the device’s design has added to suspicions that all is not well with Trump Mobile, as the American flag logo featured on the phone appears to contain an error.
The rendering of the phone posted on the company’s X account shows the device retaining its garish gold exterior but replacing a previously advertised triangular camera layout with a straight row of lenses on the back.
More strikingly, the flag design itself appears to be altered. While the U.S. flag contains 13 stripes representing the original colonies, the renderings show 11 stripes in one video clip and just 9 in another, as reported by The Verge.
The Verge notes that the varying number of stripes is likely due to the video being AI-generated. However, one clip appears to show the phone’s camera with a scratch, suggesting that potential customers may have caught a glimpse of what the actual Trump Mobile device looks like in at least one shot.
While the company has promised to start shipping phones out this week, The Verge reported that there has apparently not been any movement on the two phones the outlet ordered, with no shipping notifications received and no “obvious sign” in their online Trump Mobile account that the order has even been logged.
The T1 is now being marketed as “designed with American values in mind,” “shaped by American innovation,” and supported by “American teams helping guide design and quality,” a shift from its initial “MADE IN AMERICA” promise when it was first announced last June.
The phone was also noted by CNN as resembling a Chinese-made handset available at Walmart for $127.99—roughly the same price as the $100 deposit customers paid a year ago for the Trump-branded gold phone.
Fortune also reported that updated preorder terms now state the company “does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase,” raising the possibility that customers who paid the deposit may never receive the phone.
“We felt there was lackluster performance ... in the mobile industry, and so with Trump Mobile, we’re going to be introducing a higher package of products,” Don Jr., 47, said last year about Trump Mobile.
On Friday, the company’s X account appeared to shift focus toward promoting coverage plans from Trump Mobile, which start at $47.45 per month—a nod to President Donald Trump’s time as the 45th and 47th president—rather than encouraging users to purchase the phone alongside the service plan.
“Switch now, keep your phone and experience the upgrade,” the company wrote on X, urging users to consider whether it may be better to keep their existing phone rather than buy the gold T1 handset.
So far, there have been no reports of any phones being delivered.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment.
