US-made device planned by end of year hit by recent government shutdown affecting shipments
Trump Mobile, the phone company launched by Donald Trump’s family business, has pushed back plans to deliver a $499 (£371) gold-coloured smartphone by the end of the year.
The Trump Organization licensed its name to launch a mobile service and the device in June, in the latest monetisation of his presidency by a family business empire now run by Trump’s sons.
In the latest setback for the project, Trump Mobile said there was a “strong possibility” the handset would not be delivered this month, the Financial Times reported. The company’s customer service team told the FT that the recent government shutdown had disrupted shipments.
The T1 smartphone, described by the company as “proudly American”, was initially promoted as a US-made rival to devices from Apple and Samsung. Almost all smartphones sold in the US are made overseas, primarily in China and South Korea but also increasingly in India and Vietnam.
