Trump Organization's $499 Smartphone Delayed Again, Now Until the End of January (independent.co.uk) 85
Last June the Trump organization announced sales of a $499 "T1" smartphone with a gold-colored case. But though they originally were scheduled for release in August, this week a customer service representative for the wireless carrier told CBS News the device will be pushed back again, now until the end of January, "attributing the delay to the recent U.S. government shutdown."
Some context from The Independent: Shortly after the phone was first announced, language describing it as "Made in the USA" was removed from its official website with the vague claim that the devices are "brought to life" in the United States posted in its place... Other information about the phone has also changed or been removed since its first unveiling, The Verge has reported. Trump Mobile initially indicated the T1's screen measured 6.78 inches, but now claims it is 6.25 inches. It also said the phone had 12GB of RAM; however, that claim has now also disappeared.
As the wait for the T1 continues, Trump Mobile has begun offering refurbished Samsung S23s, S24s, and Apple iPhone 15s and 16s for sale on its site, which appear to have no specific Trump branding and are priced considerably higher than customers might pay elsewhere.
Some context from The Independent: Shortly after the phone was first announced, language describing it as "Made in the USA" was removed from its official website with the vague claim that the devices are "brought to life" in the United States posted in its place... Other information about the phone has also changed or been removed since its first unveiling, The Verge has reported. Trump Mobile initially indicated the T1's screen measured 6.78 inches, but now claims it is 6.25 inches. It also said the phone had 12GB of RAM; however, that claim has now also disappeared.
As the wait for the T1 continues, Trump Mobile has begun offering refurbished Samsung S23s, S24s, and Apple iPhone 15s and 16s for sale on its site, which appear to have no specific Trump branding and are priced considerably higher than customers might pay elsewhere.
Wrong timing (Score:3, Interesting)
Wait another year, and Optimus robots can make it in the USA from domestically-sourced materials for $49.99.
Also, even if you like Trump, would you buy a phone from this man? Erm...
Re: Wrong timing (Score:5, Funny)
Only if it runs on coal or Venezuela oil. I do not need a phone with a rechargeable battery.
Re: (Score:2)
Sorry, wrong mod, have undo.
Re: (Score:3)
Wait another year, and Optimus robots can make it in the USA from domestically-sourced materials for $49.99.
I'm assuming that the joke is that those things are even less likely to happen than Trump's phone finally materializing?
The irony is, getting a Chinese OEM to slap your branding on their product is super easy. The hang up is most likely Trump's insistence that some portion of the final assembly take place in the USA.
Re:Wrong timing (Score:5, Interesting)
Honestly this is such a small potatoes compared to the literally billions in pardons Trump sold or the billions in crypto...
The fact that the United States president is openly selling pardons and we are all just letting it happen because half of us like that he is sticking at the somebody we don't like, whoever that's somebody is this week, I mean Jesus fucking Christ.
Right now if you're committing Financial crimes you can do it with impunity. That means somebody can steal your retirement and your life savings and they can just get away with it. All they have to do is take a few million of the money they stole from you and give it to Donald Trump and they are Scott free. If they get State charges there might be a problem but Trump is using his veto power to threaten states that go after criminals who bribed him.
Once again because old people dominate our politics they just do not give a shit because they know they're going to be dead before the worst of all of this bites them in the ass.
A geriocracy is a real mess. Having a government and a society run by people who are close to death really screws everything up because they have absolutely no thought to the Future and they're bitter and angry from old age.
Re:Wrong timing (Score:5)
Please don't blame "old people" for the current fascist government.
Lots of young, white, males voted for this.
Re: Wrong timing (Score:5, Insightful)
You forgot about the people of color (Score:1, Troll)
Please don't blame "old people" for the current fascist government. Lots of young, white, males voted for this.
Lots of young black, Latino, and Asian voters voted for him as well...as well as lots of older ones. You do like democracy, don't you? If you need someone to blame, blame the Democrats for their consistent losing streak and their inability to adapt to changing times. Are they the best choice? absolutely...especially since the alternative is so terrible...however, it's their fucking job to make the sale, not mine, not yours....and Kamala was a SHIT SHIT SHIT saleswoman...same with Hillary. Sorry, that's
Re:You forgot about the people of color (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry to have triggered you.
The difference in the popular vote was a very slim margin... Slim enough to be caused by certain people who just couldn't bring themselves to vote for a black woman regardless of her politics.
Trump represents a complete failure (Score:2)
Every single thing had to go wrong for Trump to get a second term.
That said voter suppression is the primary reason Trump won his second term. Approximately 7 million Americans tried to vote and couldn't. A combination of illegal challenges to signatures and voter registrations and multi-hour wait times to vote in swing States is what made Trump president.
So mind you yes, as fucked up as it is if the Democrats had run a youngish white man Trump
better sales pitch (Score:3)
>DJT made a better pitch
The issue I have with is that a lot of the sales pitch was a bald-faced lie that anyone with a grade-school education and life experience should have seen through. For example, a president does not have a "grocery price" knob in the oval office that he can just turn down on day one. Even if you interpret it generously as "will start implementing policies that will bring down consumer prices," none of that was detailed. In fact, the main talking point about tariffs would obviousl
Agreed, but that's democracy. (Score:2)
I'm mad at Trump for being the worst human being since Putin. I'm mad at the Republicans for supporting him blindly against their own long-term interests...but I don't expect much from them. I view Trump as evil. I view the Republican
It was about 3% (Score:2)
During Trump's first run boomers gave us trump. Both in the primary and the general election boomers overwhelmingly went for Trump No boomers no Trump.
For the second win the boomers only went for Trump by 5%. It was the older genexted overwhelmingly went for Trump and cinched the election for him. Basically 50 to 65-year-olds. It was still old people. No old
Re:Wrong timing (Score:4, Informative)
El Bunko’s transnational schemes
This is quite a network of “deals”:
https://www.nytimes.com/intera... [nytimes.com]
A short list of his bunks compiled by me and not from the article (which is waaasy more extensive than I have stomach to compile):
1. Sneakers
2. NFTs with him doing stupid shit
3. Watches
4. Fragrances
5. Cabinet positions: he promises “cabinet advisory positions” to the Maggots in emails, all you need to get one is contribute to him.
6. Bibles
7. His "media company".....just announced they "lost" $400 million in the last year. That's $400 million of other people's money he and his cronies have made off with.
8. The el Bunko guitar
9. Shirts with he and Elmo on them
10. Gold one dollar bills
11. Gold Bars
12. Siphoning money from criminal seizures into a National “Strategic” Bitcoin Reserve thereby increasing money into the shitcoin industry and his own shitcoins.
13. Cabinet positions for his billionaire “contributors”
14. Advertising Teslas on the White House lawn. The Bunk: Elmo announced he’s putting another $100 million into el Bunko’s political operation.
15. $447,000 Birken Crocodile Handbag.
16. Golf “tournaments” at his golf course fueled by Saudi money; the Saudis are above corruption in the same way a brick is above the Sargasso Tea (thanx Douglas Adams)
17. Don Jr. has a millionaires club to rich to get inside scoop on new Bunks.
18. Eric has crypt company merging with another so they’ll be listed on Nasdaq.
19. el Bunko’s own crypto so foreign governments and “friends” can contribute directly. United Arab Emirates put $2 billion into the Trump family’s new cryptocurrency outfit, World Liberty Financial.
20. Qatar’s 450 million dollar airplane “gifted” to DoD but he gets to keep it when he leaves office.after DoD tricks it out to make it secure.which they’ll do by first stripping it down and putting it back together again.
21. Auction to dine with el Bunko.
22. Qatar chipped in to help finance a Trump-branded beachside golf and luxury villa project in the country worth $5.5 billion.
23. el Bunko hotels for housing foreign “dignitaries”.
24. Selling pardons, sort of like the Catholic Church selling “Indulgences”.
25. A “gold-plated” phone ostensibly made in the U.S. but looking suspiciously like a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
26. The el Bunko Wireless Company.
27. The el BunkoRX company, they do deals with drug companies to lower prices, for which they profit.
28. The new round of watches and other tat he sells from the Oval Office.
29. $240 Million he’s demanding from the Injustice Dept. for calling him out on his crimes and attempting to prosecute them.
30. Grifting off the Epstein files telling his Maggots he needs their money to defend himself.
31. Deal with Pakistan’s crypto-bros to dump money into his own crypto-crap.
32. Bailing out Argentina and Milei because if Argentina goes much further south, el Bunko and Scott Bessent lose their “investment” in the cypto-crap Milei was promoting until it tanked.
All of his tat is made in China. And he is hawking it now from the Oval Orifice.
The corruption and grift are astounding (Score:5, Insightful)
This has got to be the most corrupt government in the history of the world, and he doesn't even try to hide it. The republican party has spent the last 50 years quietly installing far-right yes-men in positions of administrative leadership, all with the intent to undo all the progress we have made as a nation because rich white men are butt-hurt about finally having to share. It's sad to see the world's most successful democracy be torn apart by a bunch of old, greedy, white men who hate everyone who doesn't look like them or have as much wealth as them.
Re: (Score:2)
People keep reelecting them. Whaddya gonna do?
Move to a civilized country like Canada.
Re:The corruption and grift are astounding (Score:5, Informative)
Move to a civilized country like Canada.
The country may be civilized but their geese are vicious.
Re: (Score:3)
Until they invade Canada.
Re: (Score:2)
Last time we tried that, it didn't go that well. [history.com]
Re: (Score:2)
I am well aware:
https://slashdot.org/comments.... [slashdot.org]
Re: (Score:2)
Canada is mountains, rivers, lakes and forest.
I guess a random Canadian survives in the wilderness much better than a random USAsian.
They could bomb the cities, but not conquer the land. Sad is: they might sooner do that than we even imagine.
Re:The corruption and grift are astounding (Score:5, Informative)
He flat out says he wants to run Venezuela and take the oil. https://www.bbc.com/news/artic... [bbc.com]
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
He flat out says he wants to run Venezuela and take the oil. https://www.bbc.com/news/artic... [bbc.com]
He is really after "recovering" "his" Nobel Peace Prize that was given to a Venezuelan woman. Just wait till he starts flaunting it at the Trumpskyy house (formerly the White House).
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly what transactions or activity do you think demonstrates "corruption and grift"?
At this point it would be easier to simply list legitimate legal ones.
Re: (Score:2)
That's more or less the same set of countries as the rich ones. The USA a very recent outlier, but that's because full effect will take a while to hit. And the USA has a long way to fall I'd expect all hell to break loose before it gets too far down the pole.
Re: (Score:3)
... a private organisation is benefitting in transactions and activity from THE WHITE HOUSE, whilst the person in charge of both is the SAME PERSON, and you seriously have the planet-sized balls to ask "what transactions or activity demonstrate corruption and grift"?
My country's about 18 ranks above yours in that Perceptions Index and damn, but am I glad to be nowhere near your to-be-golden-domed rathole country.
Re: (Score:1)
This has got to be the most corrupt government in the history of the world,
Wow, wisdom straight from tDotHi: the department of the history ignorant.
Re: (Score:3)
And longest lived, at that. You might not believe it, but the US is the world's oldest democracy - all other western democratic nations have only emerged far more recently.
Though, the bigger worrying thing is to realize the end of the British Empire was only 70 years ago in the 1950s, and that happened because the US threatened
Trump is the best at ONE thing: (Score:5, Insightful)
Narcissism. That miserable sack of pus has to placade his name in big, bright, flashy letters on absolutely everything.
I'd bet he forced his wife(s) and children to have his name tatooed on their body somewhere.
Re: (Score:3)
How much you bet, in the near future, he publicly muses on renaming Venezuela to "Trumpistan" or "The Trump Republic" or something similar?
Re: Trump is the best at ONE thing: (Score:2)
Trumpiland
Re: (Score:2)
Donniewood.
I'm looking forward (Score:5, Insightful)
Truly, this is what makes America great.
Re:I'm looking forward (Score:4, Insightful)
Couldn't happen to a more deserving group.
Re: (Score:2)
To be fair I'm betting Venezuela put as much faith in that as Ukraine places in Trumps promises of defending them against Russia, should they accept the peace deal.
Re:I'm looking forward (Score:5, Funny)
You make a good point. Now that Clinton was named in the Epstein files I had to get rid of my my Clinton wrapped Dodge RAM truck, Clinton sneakers, Clinton bible, Clinton hat, and numerous Clinton flags flying on my double wide. It's been rough.
Re: (Score:2)
If you have not burned the Clinton flags by now, I take one. :D
Sent me a message on ebay, please
Refurbished phone pricing (Score:4, Insightful)
"...priced considerably higher than customers might pay elsewhere..."
Of course they are. The world is awash with "idiot money", and a huge ecosystem is in place to capitalize on it. For decades I've lamented that I'm precluded from feasting at the trough by my basic moral character, which was developed through no fault of my own.
This family has no such barriers.
Re: (Score:2)
The Bush family refers to us as "useless eaters".
Re: (Score:3)
For decades I've lamented that I'm precluded from feasting at the trough by my basic moral character, which was developed through no fault of my own.
The problem is, unless you're already sitting on a rather substantial stack of cash to begin with, the only sort of morally bankrupt business endeavors generally available to average folks are the kind that are just straight up illegal.
Yeah, a wealthy person with questionable morals could hawk their $100 "miracle portable air conditioner" (AKA, mini desktop swamp cooler) on Facebook all day long. If your or I tried to do the same thing, we'd probably get one person who actually bought it and then won't sto
C'mon (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
the real cause for the delay (Score:2)
was updating the preloaded CSAM
Suckers! (Score:2)
He took your money and you'll line up for it again.
Get it here (Score:3, Funny)
Good news MAGA heroes. I have a small exclusive preview shipment.
Contact me to get a limited edition Trump phone: solid gold, signed by El Duche himself in big bold sharpie (the very same sharpie that moved an hurricane, can you believe it ?). Be the the envy all of all those liberal losers with their fancy iphones.
I know what you think, surely that phone is going to be a small fortune, but no, thanks to Trump's amazing economic policies, this amazing phone, one hundred percent made in the USA, can be yours for the low low price of $999 (it is easily worth 10x that price).
Oh by the way, I heard rumors that this phone actually increase the size of your penis, and reverse the effect of the water that turns you gay.
So don't hesitate, just send me the money and you will for sure receive your phone very quickly. My word is as strong as that very strong Wall totally paid by Mexico.
The TACO phone (Score:1)
shrinking promises
What has the government shutdown got to do with th (Score:4, Insightful)
This isn't a government created phone, it's being (presumably) made by a private commercial company who would not have been affected by the shutdown.
I guess, though, lies are lies, and they'll be believed anyway.
Re:What has the government shutdown got to do with (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
I keep seeing people posting (Score:5, Interesting)
The holdup is that the Republican party won't impeach Trump because party before country.
But every single post I see complains about Congress not the republicans in Congress protecting Trump.
This isn't a both sides issue. This is a Republican issue. But we can't hold the Republican party accountable because we are so used to being angry at politicians as a group
Re: (Score:2)
The republicans could have nominated someone else in the primary but they chose orange. Here we are.
Thanks for proving my point (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
The president's scummy MVNO isn't exactly a dinner table issue. I think most people aren't even aware that Trump Mobile is a thing, and of those who are, they probably just figure nobody is forcing you to buy it.
You can pick up a prepaid phone starting at around $30, right off the shelf at Walmart. With that in mind, Trump Mobile seems more like the grift is on the side of fooling clueless investors, rather than customers.
I'm more worried about the billions in pardons (Score:3, Insightful)
They do have to be careful that they don't fuck over the billionaires that are in control of trump just like Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes learned b
Re: (Score:1)
FYI, due to *your* post I went back and modded up rsilvergun. :)
Would not have done so otherwise.
Well done you! You're effectively upmodding rsg!
"Made in USA" (Score:2)
Some effort please... (Score:3)
As the wait for the T1 continues, Trump Mobile has begun offering refurbished Samsung S23s, S24s, and Apple iPhone 15s and 16s for sale on its site, which appear to have no specific Trump branding and are priced considerably higher than customers might pay elsewhere.
What a weird move is that? Just slap a trump Logo on the most American phone, brag about it. Make bold claims of the future. Add a graph showing more and more components will be American! In 2030, 150% of the components will be made in the USA! It is going to be great!
They aren't even trying...
Re: (Score:2)
They don't have to try because:
Re: (Score:1)
They aren't even trying...
Nope, they're just phoning it in.
Because of the shutdown? (Score:3)
they originally were scheduled for release in August, this week a customer service representative for the wireless carrier told CBS News the device will be pushed back again, now until the end of January, "attributing the delay to the recent U.S. government shutdown."
(a) They were scheduled to be released in August, the shutdown was in October - August is *before* October and (b) what would the government shutdown have to do with this anyway?
To be honest, the delays and rest of the information like reduced/redacted specs, selling used phones for higher prices, etc... doesn't surprise me from an enterprise with this branding. They just probably haven't finished figuring out how to get the most scam for the buck...
Re: (Score:2)
The scam is finished. Trump took their money. What's going to happen to him? Exactly nothing.
Kitsch-Guilding.com bankrupt? (Score:2)
China delivers phones like crazy, so that must be it.
Don't you guys think ... (Score:2)
... this is somewhat hilarious, having the country run by a stuff peddling somewhat l00ny Showmaster and fraud? Given, I'm looking from the outside (Europe) so it's easyer for me to laugh at this right now but it _is_ funny, with the right dose of humor, don't you think?
I just hope you guys don't totally collapse into a banana Republic. I'm not too worried, but you never know.
Did people pay in advance for these phones? (Score:2)
Re: Did people pay in advance for these phones? (Score:2)
Delayed again (Score:2)
... Elon? Is that you?
How many inches? (Score:2)
Probably more like a micro-phone, if you know what I mean.
The Big 'T' (Score:1)
T1 == Tariff 1