Lots of outrage expressed in various media stating that Trump sold phones to his supporters, failed to deliver them, and pocketed the $ without refunds. The details are more complex, as summarized in the cartoon above and expressed by Heather Cox Richardson below:
As Judd Legum of Popular Information explains, on June 16, 2025, Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric announced the launch of a new, gold plated, Trump smartphone, “proudly designed and built in the United States.” It would be available in August 2025 for $499. Its website urged customers to “pre-order” the phone by depositing $100 toward it. Don Jr. said the phone would be “American hardware, built in America, without the potential of…[a] backdoor into the hardware that some of our adversaries have installed in there.”
And yet a disclaimer on the website said the Trumps and the Trump Organization were involved only in the branding of the phone; they had nothing to do with the design, development, manufacture, distribution, or sales of the item. As Legum notes, the idea of a superior U.S.-made phone was always a fantasy, and within two weeks the phone’s description changed from “MADE IN THE USA” to “designed with American values in mind.”
The phone never shipped, and on April 6, Trump Mobile updated its terms to say the $100 deposit was not actually a deposit for a pre-order, but rather “a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale.” It went on to say the deposit “does not lock in pricing, promotions, service plans, taxes, fees, shipping costs, or other commercial terms” and that “[e]stimated ship dates, launch timelines, or anticipated production schedule are non-binding estimates only.”
A new phone has recently gotten clearance from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Trump Mobile executives say they are waiting for approval from T-Mobile, the company whose network Trump Mobile wants to use. Legum points out that T-Mobile relies on the federal government for approval for business activities, creating an enormous conflict of interest.
Pretty sure Hitler did exactly the same with his Eigenutz Telefon.
ReplyDeletePretty sure that Nazi scam helped pay for all the methamphetamine that fuelled the Blitzkrieg, and nearly had all us Europeans, Russians, and Middle Eastern people, speaking German (your guesstimates may vary)
I wonder how safe I am, here overseas and a long way away from the orange clown with power.
Those sins, sorry, I meant sons, are they called princes yet ... do they consider themselves princes ?
Will they and the cotton candy crowned clown, and all the lawyers, thwart the American constitution and keep the fat one in for a third term, citing 'It was only an amendment, it can be amended' and then just start calling him a Royale Burger, like they do in France (thanks 'Pulp Fiction')
Pulp fiction, ha, if only it were, I'm suffering and I am buffered behind ... as Trump said, probably ... "the biggest ocean, the very best ocean, people say it is the most beautiful ocean, it's like more than 4 seas, much much bigger than 4 seas, sounds like sees, C's, seize, I am like Caesar, I'm about to have a seizure, cognitive test - C minus, there are no better or bigger seas ... oceans".
I shudder when I put myself in your American shoes.
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* I made up the bit about the Nazi Eigenutz Telefon scam, seriously, they didn't have modern communication systems back then, although why not is an enigma.
* I had to look up what Americans call candy floss
William, may I suggest you search online for a Substack app titled I think "I fucking love Australia." It shouldn't be hard to find. The writer trashes Trump (and the United States) daily in rather "salty language." You might enjoy. You can subscribe for free to get daily newsletters.
DeleteWhile Hitler did not run a phone scam he did go into a monument building mode very much like the one currently ravaging D.C.
Delete@Minnesotastan The subject and the comment do raise interesting questions re: BS vs lying.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Bullshit
Bait and switch. Hey, didn't Drumpf (original spelling of his name) just do that with his big ballroom?!? I don't remember signing up for that one. We may getting another one with his golden arch.
ReplyDeletePS Can someone tell him to stop making the White House like his grandfather's brothel!!! Did he see the same Seattle Post Intelligencer July 17, 1897 article that read, Gold! Gold! Gold! ???
Anything built by Trump is going to have to be torn down and the rubble carefully shipped far away from the Whitehouse, because the chance of it being riddled with Russian spytech is high.
DeleteGood time to put more into World Liberty Financial!
ReplyDelete