Lawmakers urge FTC to probe Trump Mobile over 'deceptive' marketing
- Reference: 1768570147
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/01/16/ftc_trump_mobile/
- Source link:
Customers were told to pay $100 deposits by August 2025, with shipping dates repeatedly pushed back from August to November, then December, and still no devices have shipped as of January.
Pre-orders for the T1 remain open, while Trump Mobile sells refurbished Apple and Samsung devices, and "The 47 Plan" – a [1]mobile virtual network service costing $47.45 per month for a SIM-only telco product.
[2]
The proposed FTC probe would zero in on Trump Mobile's marketing practices, which lawmakers claim are "potentially deceptive."
[3]
The T1 Smartphone Mark 2
President Trump [4]announced the Trump Mobile brand in June 2025, along with mockups of a T1 phone. The company attracted criticism for sharing inconsistent designs – earlier versions appeared similar to an iPhone 16 Pro, while subsequent designs more closely resembled a [5]Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra , lawmakers said.
Also under the microscope of the proposed regulatory review is the company's initial "Made in the USA" marketing phrases.
[6]
[7]
The lawmakers' [8]letter [PDF] to the FTC states: "Trump Mobile initially advertised the T1 phone as 'made in the USA' on its website. These claims were quietly removed from the website in late June 2025, days after the phone was announced.
"To claim that a product is 'Made in USA,' marketers must meet a very specific set of FTC standards, violations of which come with civil penalties.
[9]
"Experts have pointed out the impracticality of creating smartphones in the United States given the lack of appropriate manufacturing infrastructure. Since its grandiose announcement, Trump Mobile has replaced its language with vague phrases like 'American-Proud Design,' 'Proudly American,' and 'brought to life right here in the USA.'"
The letter notes that the FTC failed to respond to a similar request made in August about how it plans to investigate the "enormous conflicts of interest" associated with Trump Mobile.
Trump's grip on the FTC
Lawmakers demanded a response to their letter by February 15, saying this proposed probe would serve as a "critical test of the FTC's independence," which has been increasingly called into question.
In February 2025, Trump signed an [10]executive order giving the White House more control over regulatory agencies, including the independent ones like the FTC and SEC. Policy decisions are to be approved by the president, who also has control over the commissions' budgets.
The administration framed the move as making regulators answerable to the American people, though critics described it as an authoritarian power grab.
[11]Trump's freshly minted meme coin passes $10B market cap
[12]Trump says Americans shouldn't 'pick up the tab' for AI datacenter grid upgrades
[13]Trump spectrum sale leaves airlines with $4.5B bill for altimeter do-over
[14]Europe gets serious about cutting digital umbilical cord with Uncle Sam's big tech
A month later, Trump removed the FTC's Democrat commissioner, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, sparking a Supreme Court case that continues to take shape.
Per a 1935 ruling that came to be known as Humphrey's Executor, a US president does not have the right to remove executives of independent agencies like the FTC without cause.
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The president removed Slaughter on grounds that she was "inconsistent" with his administration's priorities, which is not one of the reasons listed under the FTC Act.
The Supreme Court's decision on Slaughter vs USA is not expected for several months. The final ruling, and the validity of Humphrey's Executor, could have a significant impact on the independence of US regulators.
Given the fractious relationship between the president and the [16]FTC , it is unclear whether the latter will uphold the lawmakers' request for a probe into Trump Mobile. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/16/trump_mobile_launches/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aWpuvQAQanmuuJtwtrK0CQAAAYk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/08/22/trump-mobile-iphone.jpg
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/16/trump_mobile_launches/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/22/trump_t1_samsung_spigen/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aWpuvQAQanmuuJtwtrK0CQAAAYk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aWpuvQAQanmuuJtwtrK0CQAAAYk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/updated_final_letter_to__the_federal_trade_commission_on_trump_mobile_delays.pdf
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aWpuvQAQanmuuJtwtrK0CQAAAYk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-reins-in-independent-agencies-to-restore-a-government-that-answers-to-the-american-people/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/20/trump_meme_coin/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/13/trump_datacenter_power_costs/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/08/airlines_face_another_altimeter_upgrade/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/22/europe_gets_serious_about_cutting/
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aWpuvQAQanmuuJtwtrK0CQAAAYk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/15/ftc_gm_tracking_ban/
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Missed opportunity
The headline could have been Fauxcahontas calls for deception enquiry!
Re: Missed opportunity
You'd be pooping your diapers if any left wing President did anything remotely like what Trump is doing.
Trump derangement syndrome? Look in the mirror. Every accusation is a confession.
Re: Missed opportunity
@AC
Eh? Reread my comment. Where do I say anything about the investigation or accusation? I just spotted the headline opportunity.
Grifters gonna grift
Trump steaks, Trump Vodka, Trump casino, Trump university, Trump charity, Trump watches, Trump Guitars Trump presidency, it's always a grift and I'm amazed anyone still falls for it.
Re: Grifters gonna grift
Supporting Trump is self-selecting as a sucker.
Re: Grifters gonna grift
Surely in this case people should be celebrating that those bereft of common sense are being exploited, rather than asking regulators to intervene?
Re: Grifters gonna grift
Still waiting to receive my 2025 holiday themed 'Golden Grift Cards'. The perfect seasonal gift for friends and family!
Re: Grifters gonna grift
Don't forget about his bibles.
Why is it that most of the people I hear about that claim to be Christian's have a broken moral compass?
Re: Grifters gonna grift
Trump moral compasses are for display use only.
Re: Grifters gonna grift
Don't forget about his bibles.
Presumably a Trump bible has an old testament, a new testament, and a newer, biglier testament, in which an orange Jesus offers salvation to anyone who wants to buy it?
Anyone with even half a brain
would have seen that this was a scam right from day 1. The Trump clan is 'Grift Central' in the USA but some of the disciples will stump up loadsadosh for inferior phones with a gold coloured case.
Don't worry people, another Trump branded scam will be along soon.
47+USD for a SIM only plan? That seems expensive to me in the UK or is that a reasonable price in the USA?
According to a few people I've spoken with it's a bit on the high side but only what you'd consider a 'premium' price. When I mentioned that I was paying £6 a month for a sim-only deal with several GB of data included they were astonished.
From what I remember it's always been like this. Telecoms costs in the UK have always been considerably lower than they are in the US. I imagine it's because of our higher population density and small geographical area. Like, back in the day they had free local calls when we didn't. Okay. Sounds good. But our local area included nearby towns and cities, not just our suburb. They were paying more to call people in the next town along.
We also usually get a better service on average. They might have had faster internet in the cities (and still have a higher average thanks to those outliers) but outside of the cities they were (and still are) worse off than us.
It is more expensive. Plans at higher prices tend to include phones or extra services. Prepaid plans can manage unlimited data for $25-$35 if people look for them, and there are lower-cost ones if a data cap is acceptable. However, many people end up buying plans from the large mobile providers directly rather than MVNOs, either independent ones or the ones operated by the same companies, and those direct contracts are much more expensive. People tend to be quite pleased when they learn that MVNOs exist and what the price difference looks like.
Mobile connections are well-priced nationwide, whereas home internet varies widely depending on location. Urban internet tends to be fast and cheap, but if you live in a rural place, you're going to get little and pay a lot for it.
Yeah, MVNOs that are just the cheap version of a parent company are weird. I'm with such an MVNO and it undercuts its parent company by 50%.
I've sometimes wondered about that. Am I a case of "At least his money comes to us, rather than a competitor." or do they look at their primary company customers and laugh at them for overpaying?
"inconsistent designs – earlier versions appeared similar to an iPhone 16 Pro, while subsequent designs more closely resembled a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra"
Inconsistent appearance based on footage/photos of multiple other products the final thing won't resemble anyway?
Why does this sound like those scammy videos on YouTube that use stock footage, formulaic and entirely fictitious "underdog" stories, grossly inflated claims and/or outright lies?
Hmm.
Warren might want to consider
What a visit from orange man's ICE group might look like. On the other hand, I am pleased to see EU doing actual military exercises in Greenland. I'd encourage the EU soldier to have zero restraint in shooting any US soldier in there way.