Trump Family Lends Name to ‘Sleek, Gold’ $500 Smartphone

The Trump family has reportedly licensed its name to a mobile service and smartphone.

Trump Mobile, which includes a phone that sells for $499, marks the latest deal forged by the president’s family to capitalize on his name while in office, Reuters reported Monday (June 16).

According to the report, the new venture will operate in conjunction with one of the three main U.S. wireless companies. Key details about the operation, such as the family’s partner in the business and financial terms of their licensing deal, were not disclosed, Reuters added.

“We are going to be introducing an entire package of products where people can come and they can get telemedicine on their phones for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance on their cars, unlimited texting to 100 countries around the world,” said Donald Trump Jr.

The announcement also promised the launch of a “sleek, gold smartphone” that will be “designed and built in the United States.”

The report noted that it is not clear which U.S.-based company could provide a phone selling for $499, something not even Apple has been able to accomplish.

While American tech brands are strong, Reuters points out, there is no significant domestic smartphone production infrastructure, mainly due to steep labor costs, supply chain complexity and dependence on foreign components.

The announcement comes as demand for smartphones in the U.S. is cooling somewhat, according to findings released by market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC) late last month.

The company lowered its forecast for worldwide smartphone shipments in 2025 from the 2.3% year-over-year growth it projected in February to 0.6% in the wake of the tariffs imposed by the Trump White House.

“Since April 2nd, the smartphone industry has faced a whirlwind of uncertainty,” Nabila Popal, senior research director with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said in the release. “While current exemptions on smartphones have offered temporary relief, the looming possibility of broader tariffs presents a serious risk.”

However, despite trade tensions between China and the U.S., those countries are forecast to fuel this year’s growth, IDC said.

The U.S. market is expected to increase by 1.9% in 2025, a drop from IDC’s earlier forecast of 3.3%. The company attributed this dip to uncertainty and tariff-related price increases. IDC also projected that the average selling price of smartphones in the U.S. would climb by 4%.

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