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The gold-plated Trump Mobile T1 was supposed to be many things: flashy, patriotic, and, most importantly, real.
Instead, it’s becoming something else entirely: very, very delayed.
Once again, the much-promised “American-made” smartphone has missed its shipping window, with Trump Mobile now saying the phone won’t arrive until 2026. Yes, again.
This latest delay comes courtesy of a new villain: the recent US government shutdown.
According to customer service reps, the shutdown, from October 1 to November 12, created a backlog at the Federal Communications Commission, slowing the approvals needed to ship the device.
The company now states that pre-order customers can expect to receive the phone sometime in mid-to-late January 2026, assuming no further issues arise.
History suggests that’s a bold assumption.
The T1 was originally expected to launch in August. Then it wasn’t. Then it definitely wasn’t.
Now it’s officially a “next year” problem, leaving customers who paid a $100 deposit months ago staring at their inboxes and refreshing for updates that never seem to bring good news.
To be fair, the specs themselves aren’t outrageous, at least on paper.
The T1 is supposed to feature a 6.25-inch AMOLED display (down from earlier rumors of a much larger screen), a 120Hz refresh rate, a 50-megapixel camera, and 256GB of storage, all wrapped in a gold finish for $499.
In today’s Android market, that’s firmly “fine.”
The problem is timing. While Trump Mobile points to paperwork delays, other companies faced the same FCC backlog and still managed to ship phones in the US.
Meanwhile, established players like Samsung and Google are selling polished, reliable phones at the same price point, phones you can actually buy.
That’s what’s making this sting for early supporters. A delayed launch is one thing. Multiple delays start to look like something else entirely.
At some point, the question stops being “when will it ship?” and becomes “was this ever really happening?”
The government shutdown didn’t help, sure. But blaming a slip into 2026 on paperwork alone feels thin.
When a phone keeps missing its moment, it risks becoming less of a product launch and more of a cautionary tale, with a gold finish.
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