The Trump Organization jumped into the smartphone business on June 16, announcing a $499 gold-hued phone and a mobile phone plan, proclaiming on the Trump Mobile website that device would be "designed and built in the United States." It's a claim that many experts were skeptical about. Now, just over a week later, site has dropped that phrasing.
Instead, new wording on Trump Mobile cites "American hands" and "American values" but steers clear of claiming the phone, called the T1, will be made in the US.
The original statement remains unchanged on Trump.com, without offering any additional details.
But given supply chain realities, it was clear from the start that at least some components in the phone would have to come from another country, such as China. The Trump administration has been focused on having more manufacturing take place in the US, including pushing Apple to build iPhones here.
A representative for Trump Mobile did not respond to a request for comment.
A banner on Trump Mobile.com that said "MADE IN THE USA" is now gone. But other statements proclaim the phone is "proudly American" as well as "designed with American values in mind." A headline reads, "American-Proud Design."
"The T1SM Phone isn't just powerful -- it's brought to life right here in the USA. With American hands behind every device," the site says. It's not explained what this specifically means with regard to the phone's manufacturing.
Expert: 'Completely impossible' to fully make a phone in US
Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at International Data Corp., last week told CNBC that the phone could not be assembled or completely manufactured in the US. "That is completely impossible," he said.
Eric Trump, one the president's sons, said at the time that the company would build phones in the US, but not right away.
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