With just a week until Christmas, it looks like you won’t be giving the mega MAGA fan in your life that shiny new golden Trump phone of their heavily misguided dreams. The T1, Trump Mobile’s phone “for Americans,” is still floating in the star-spangled ether, which means anyone dumb—er, patriotic—enough to put down $100 on an obvious knockoff will have to wait to receive their very-much-not-made-in-America device.
In the meantime, though, Trump Mobile has some other options. Can Don Jr. and Eric Trump (who are running Trump Mobile’s totally above-board, tip-top operation) perhaps interest you in a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S24 or an iPhone 15? Perhaps for a price that’s actually higher than what you can currently buy a new iPhone 15 from Best Buy for? No, no, it’s a good deal, though… trust them.
“The Apple iPhone15 Renewed isn’t just another smartphone—it’s a bold step toward wireless independence,” reads the description on the Trump Mobile product page for the aforementioned refurbished iPhone 15. “Apple iPhone15 Renewed delivers top-tier performance, sleek design, and powerful features—all without the inflated price tag.”
That’s right, folks. In case you missed it, the only Trump phone you can technically buy right now is actually just two old Samsungs and an iPhone in a refurbished trench coat. Are we surprised? No. Not really. This is the same company that had to renege on its “made in America” branding since its phones could not possibly be made in America for $499—fabrication methods for such a device literally don’t even exist here yet. Are we shocked at the gall of trying to make a quick buck off of leveraging the highest level of public office and people’s general ignorance about technology? No. We’re not shocked by that either, actually.
Given the fact that both Trump brothers are heavily invested in the crypto space, where dubious business practices feel more like the modus operandi than an icky anomaly, trying to hawk a three-year-old refurbished iPhone for an inflated price almost feels almost cute in comparison. Just a little price inflation as a gag! Boy, I miss having standards.
But what do you expect, really? The Trump phone has already been delayed for months after being slated for August or September, and was, as I alluded to before, never really feasible (at least with its original America-made marketing and price) in the first place. Waiting for the Trump phone to arrive is like waiting for the clouds to boil over and start raining breakfast. Even if you’re hungry, you’re going to wind up with a lot of egg on your face in the end.
At this point, nothing feels particularly shocking, and the only way to deliver genuine surprise would be to put out a phone that actually justifies its own branding and isn’t just a re-skinned Samsung Galaxy. When that happens, you can go ahead and use your $47 per month Trump Mobile plan to give me a ring. I’ll wait.
Source: Gizmodo