Trump Mobile: The new folly of the Trump family

The Trump Organization announced the launch of Trump Mobile, a new cell phone service in the United States, as well as a smart phone dubbed “T1”.Trump Mobile, carried by T1 Mobile LLC, offers a $47.45 per month plan. It has been named the “47 Plan”, in tribute to Donald Trump’s rank as the 47th President of the United States. It includes free calls to over 100 countries, including those with US military bases, as well as unlimited SMS and data.

Subscribers will have access to 24/7 roadside assistance via Drive America and telemedicine services, reports the Trump Organization. What’s more, the service will require no contract or credit check.

As for the gold-sheathed smartphone, engraved with the words “Make America Great Again”, it will sell for $499, according to the Trump Organization website.

Contacted by AFP to find out the name of the subcontractor who will manufacture the device, T1 Mobile did not immediately respond. The young company states on its website that the smartphone will be designed and manufactured in the USA.

The “T1” will feature a fingerprint sensor, facial recognition, 256GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. It will use the Android system.

The new phone service was designed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Donald Trump’s announcement of his first presidential bid, according to a statement released Monday by the Trump Organization.

“We want customer service by Americans for Americans. We want to have phones built by Americans, for Americans, and, you know, and we want to do it better than anybody. We’re going to disrupt the space,” Eric Trump, Trump’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, told Fox Business.

“Plan 47” would be less expensive than those of the major US operators (Verizon, AT & T, T-Mobile), but more expensive than those of smaller competitors such as Boost Mobile, Cricket or Metro.

Robert Weissman, co-chairman of the consumer rights group Public Citizen, told CBS News that this new project by the presidential family raises certain ethical questions. According to him, competing companies could be in an awkward position if they offer and advertise a cheaper phone or service.

M. Weissman points out that the presence of foreign components in the phone raises the question of possible tariff exemptions under the Trump administration: “It threatens to be a real distortion of the economy around the Trump brand […] My message to hard-working Americans is to slam down the phone in the face of this marketing ploy,” he told CBS News.

The Trump Organization website says the phone will be available in August, while the Trump Mobile site mentions a September launch.