Trump phone: Can it be made in the USA?

President Trump’s family business is taking preorders for a gold-colored smartphone, the T1. It's advertised as "Made in the USA," but it's not that easy.

President Donald Trump’s family business is taking preorders for a gold-colored smartphone, the T1.

Trump Mobile, which launched Tuesday, says the device will be available in September, cost far less than Apple’s and Samsung’s smartphones — and be made in the United States, aligning with the president’s “America First” economic ethos.

Industry experts and tech journalists instantly cast doubt on those claims. And if Carlsbad, California-based smartphone maker Purism is any example, it would take much more than two months for Trump Mobile to build an American-made smartphone from scratch. It would also most likely be more expensive than the T1’s advertised price of $499.

At $2,000, Purism's Liberty Phone is more expensive than an iPhone 16 Pro. It has half the iPhone’s memory with roughly twice the thickness. You also can’t download many apps on it. According to Todd Weaver, who founded Purism in 2014, it’s the only U.S.-made smartphone on the market.

But with “kill switches” to turn off its Wi-Fi, camera and microphone, the Liberty Phone is marketed as a secure option because it also carries its own operating system designed by Purism.