The company no longer pledges US manufacturing, even though it previously claimed production would happen in Alabama, California and Florida.

The network’s launch page once promised T1 phones shipping in August. Now it says they’ll arrive “later this year.” Trump Mobile also simplified specs, shrinking the screen from 6.78 inches to 6.25 inches and scrapping the 12GB RAM promise.

The brand’s terms and conditions now make it mandatory that anyone pre-ordering the phone must also subscribe to its mobile plan. The plan, priced at $47.45 a month, is a nod to Trump’s presidential terms and is operated by Liberty Mobile Wireless, a little-known Florida firm based in Trump Tower, Miami.

It turns out there isn’t a single mainstream smartphone still made in the US. That flashy “Made in America” label requires “all or virtually all” US-made components, while about 80 per cent of smartphone parts still come from China. The Fruity Cargo Cult Apple and Samsung remain deeply tied to Asia for production, despite Trump’s critique of Job’s Mob’s supply chain choices and threats of 25 per cent tariffs.

Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, lead this effort, echoing the brand’s push to repatriate the smartphone industry without  delivering on it.