Big promises, even bigger question marks
You can build these phones in the United States. We can add more functionality. We can do it cheaper, we can do it better, and eventually, all the phones can be built in the United States of America.
Eric Trump, June 16, 2025
Is there any reason to be excited about Trump Mobile?
In theory, yes. For instance, The Trump Organization’s “transformational, new cellular service” claims to match the nation’s “three major carriers” in terms of both 5G availability and speed, which sounds great. It may even be true, but at the end of the day, Trump Mobile seems to be little more than a rebrand of a teeny-tiny MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) called Liberty Mobile Wireless.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to know if Liberty has more customers than employees at least, but it feels… unwise to pay $47.47 (plus tax) a month for the wireless services of such a shady enterprise. Yes, The 47 Plan includes a lot of neat stuff, from unlimited talk, texts, and data to international calling to “100 destinations” and unlimited 24/7/365 “telehealth via video or phone”, but you know where you can get similar features and perks (minus the last one)?
The 47 Plan is by no means priced competitively. | Image Credit — Trump Mobile
Let’s be real, if any other industry newcomer came out with a $499 smartphone with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage, a 50 + 2 + 2MP triple rear-facing camera system, 5,000mAh battery with 20W charging support, and an unspecified processor in this day and age, you’d either be mocking them out of the market or shrugging your shoulders in complete indifference. One thing you definitely wouldn’t do is give them $100 to secure your place in front of the line for a gold-coated phone with the American flag ineptly Photoshopped on its back in the lone official promotional “picture”, now, would you?
