Warren, Lawmakers Question Federal Trade Commission on Trump Mobile’s Questionable Marketing Practices

Warren, Lawmakers Question Federal Trade Commission on Trump Mobile's Questionable Marketing Practices

Company initially promised consumers a phone "Made in the USA" and later quietly scrapped promise from website

Consumers asked to place $100 deposit and promised phone by August 2025-and to date no phones have been delivered

"The American people deserve to know that consumer protection laws apply equally to all businesses, regardless of political connections. The FTC's response to any violations of consumer protection law by Trump Mobile will serve as a critical test of the FTC's independence"

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development, and Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, led 9 lawmakers in writing to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with a set of questions regarding how the agency would address Trump Mobile's potentially deceptive marketing practices. The lawmakers also requested answers from the FTC about any attempts by the Trump White House to intervene in the agency's enforcement of consumer protection laws and regulations.

Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with Representatives Greg Casar (D-Texas), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) also joined the letter.

"Our review of publicly reported information about the advertising and sale of the phone reveals a pattern of potentially deceptive practices that warrant FTC investigation," wrote the lawmakers.

In June 2025, the Trump Organization launched Trump Mobile, announcing a "T1" smartphone that would be "Made in the USA" and available in August 2025 to those who placed an order, which required a deposit of $100. Just a few weeks later, claims that the phone would be domestically produced were replaced with vague phrases like "American-Proud Design," "Proudly American," and "brought to life right here in the USA."

Trump Mobile faced scrutiny for posting inconsistent designs for the phone, originally launching with a design similar to the iPhone Pro, and later posting a different design mimicking the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Phone case manufacturer Spigen threatened legal action as the phone in the image was in a Spigen case.

In August 2025, Trump Mobile began accepting $100 deposits from consumers, and to date has failed to deliver any T1 phones to consumers, and "there are no signs that the phone has become a reality." Instead, Trump Mobile has consistently pushed back its delivery date, originally promising August 2025 and then postponing to November 2025 and then the beginning of December. As of January 2026, no phone has been delivered.

While customers wait for the promised T1 phone, Trump Mobile has been selling refurbished iPhones, which are largely manufactured in China, and Samsung devices, which are manufactured by a Korean company, while claiming these products are "brought to life right here in the USA."

"The FTC is responsible for ensuring that companies like Trump Mobile do not make false or misleading claims when marketing products," wrote the lawmakers.

The FTC has previously taken action against companies for false "Made in the USA" claims, misleading representations about product features and origins, bait-and-switch tactics involving deposits for products never delivered, and failure to honor promised delivery dates.

Senator Warren led an initial letter to the FTC in August asking the agency to explain its plan to uphold laws and regulations with respect to Trump Mobile and received no responses.

"The American people deserve to know that consumer protection laws apply equally to all businesses, regardless of political connections. The FTC's response to any violations of consumer protection law by Trump Mobile will serve as a critical test of the FTC's independence and commitment to its mission of 'protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices,'" the lawmakers concluded.

The members asked the agency to address, by February 14, 2026, whether the Trump Mobile issues to date constitute deceptive practices and whether agency personnel have communicated with President Trump, the Trump Organization, or Trump Mobile at all about the T1 phone. In addition, the lawmakers asked the FTC to explain how it would respond to attempts from the Trump White House to interfere with the agency's actions.

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