The Trump Organization’s newly launched T1 smartphone, promoted as U.S.-built, is likely to be manufactured in China, according to CNBC. Though Trump’s company claims the $499 gold-colored Android device will be built in the U.S., analysts say it is almost certainly designed and produced by a Chinese original device manufacturer. IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo called full U.S. manufacturing “completely impossible,” citing a lack of domestic capability. Experts from Counterpoint Research echoed this, pointing out that most smartphone components are sourced from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China. While some memory components could come from U.S.-based Micron, the supply chain remains predominantly global. Trump has previously pressured companies to manufacture in the U.S., but experts maintain that such a shift would require years and raise prices dramatically.
