By Bernard Condon
NEW YORK (AP) The argument made by the Trump family earlier this month when they debuted a new phone at their offices in front of a huge American flag was straightforward and full of unadulterated patriotism: American-made.
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Apparently, the Trumps are reconsidering their decision.
Proudly American, perhaps?
On the website where buyers may pre-order the so-called T-1 gold-toned phones with an American flag imprinted on the back, the Made in the USA pitch that was present only a few days ago has been replaced by those two words. Other ambiguous terminology are now being used elsewhere on the website to describe the $499 phone, which is said to have an American-Proud Design and be made in the United States of America.
A number of companies have been sued for abusing the phrase “Made in USA,” which the Federal Trade Commission must be made entirely or almost entirely in the United States.
The Trump Organization has not responded to a request for comment or provided an explanation for the adjustment. An outside PR agency that handled the Trumps’ mobile phone business, including a request to verify a statement given to another media outlet, did not either.
According to USA Today, Chris Walker, a spokeswoman for Trump Mobile, stated that T1 phones are proudly built in the United States. It is just not true to speculate otherwise.
The Verge, a news outlet, was the first to report on the website’s language change.
It’s almost hard to make one here due to the increased cost and lack of infrastructure, so IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo, a cell phone technology expert, said he’s not surprised the Trump family withdrew the Made in the USA badge.
Of course, though, you might say that you do.
What you think about building will determine whether or not this phone may be made in the United States, Jeronimo stated. I guess that’s feasible in some way if it comes to putting parts together and aiming for modest quantities. The parts can always be purchased from China and put together by hand in another location.
In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump’s son Eric stated, “You’re going to have phones that are made right here in the United States of America.” He also added, “It’s about time we bring products back to our great country.”
The Trump family has previously flown the American flag alongside Trump-branded goods of dubious provenance, such as its God Bless the USA Bibles, which were revealed to be printed in China by an Associated Press investigation last year.
The Trump phone is a component of a larger family mobile strategy aimed at leveraging the president’s MAGA fan base. In homage to their fathers’ roles as the 45th and 47th presidents, the company’s two sons, Eric and Don Jr., announced earlier this month that they will be offering mobile phone contracts for $47.45 per month. They stated that the call center would also be located in the United States.
On Fox News, Eric Trump stated, “You’re not calling up call centers in Bangladesh.” Our base of operations is St. Louis, Missouri.
Since President Donald Trump is in charge of the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the industry, and is looking into phone service providers that are now competitors of Trump Mobile, the new service has come under fire from government ethics experts for having a conflict of interest.
Additionally, Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on smartphones as a kind of punishment against Apple, a direct competitor, for its intentions to manufacture the majority of its iPhones in the United States in India.
