I am surprised it is actually a clone of something people have heard of. I was expecting something on the level of what you can get for $50 at Walmart.
this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2026
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Painted? So not even as gold as the wrappers of chocolate coins?
NGL, I expected worse.
Still wouldn't buy it on a fucking dare, but I was expecting at least a 10 year old phone, not a 2 year old one.
Don't give them credit for anything. They intended to keep all their money, and stiff the MAGA dummies. Then it hit the media in a big way, and they decided to get it done ASAP.
So they found a manufacturer that had enough inventory to fulfill the orders, and went with them. Under those circumstances it would almost certainly be a fairly recent model. Ten year old phones might not even have manufacturer support. The fact that they had so many hanging around means this model was probably a dog.
does it have an unlocked bootloader? if it does, it doesnt even seem like a bad deal
Against all expectations, the T1 is actually well priced when compared to the equivalently specced 512GB U24 Pro, and the only things you give up are the 60W fast charging and your dignity.
Holy shit!
...HTC still makes phones?
Yes, just not for the North American market
It makes this supposedly being an American phone even more ironic.
How do you know they didn't spin up a factory here and create jobs? /s
ngl i thought they spun-off their phone business,i checked Wikipedia and they still make Phones.
Still or again? I know they've been out of the EU market for a long time but I'm not sure if they ever stopped altogether or just pivoted to electricity markets
The validity of the “Assembled in the USA” markings aside, the big question for many is why can’t a smartphone be made in the US? Again, there are lots of reasons but the big ones are the absence of the necessary manufacturing base, the lack of expertise in the labour pool, and cost. Bringing any part of the production line to the US, even the simpler non-electronic components like the chassis and the back cover, would put upward pressure on the price of the final product.
And say what you will about the T1, but let’s give credit where it’s due. Trump Mobile aren’t gouging their fanbase…not yet anyway. Against all expectations, the T1 is actually well priced when compared to the equivalently specced 512GB U24 Pro, and the only things you give up are the 60W fast charging and your dignity.
why can’t a smartphone be made in the US? Again, there are lots of reasons but the big ones are the absence of the necessary manufacturing base, the lack of expertise in the labour pool, and cost.
Why didn't they just pray for them? Weird.
That's not possible. Trump said there is no such thing as gold paint. That's why everything in the oval office is real gold.
Honestly I am just shocked that a physical phone exists at all.
It didn't. After customers started to post online, the media picked it up. Trump inc (co?) did the same thing with Trump watches and his Trump shoes. Both produce a rip-off product and only after being caught.
Fuck him!
Jimmy Carter was considered a complete failure by republicans. He had high inflation, high energy prices, high unemployment, and American lives lost in Iran.
Trump speedran that and the opposite party was not actively colluding to undermind him. I still haven't brought up Carter having to sale his farm and his brother.
Also has the wrong number of stripes on the flag.
Counting is hard.
Fake, cheap, and plastic with a huge price tag. What a perfect representation of the United States.
Against all expectations, the T1 is actually well priced when compared to the equivalently specced 512GB U24 Pro, and the only things you give up are the 60W fast charging and your dignity.
lol
Another great snip:
a phone designed in China, made in China, with the vast majority of parts sourced from China. I’m failing to find any stirring of American pride within me. I’ve certainly felt it before, so I can confirm that it is absent at this time.
The factories name is America
HTC probably gave him a discount not to attach their name
So just the fast charging then. I don't think anyone seriously buying this to use has any of the other thing left to give up.
For some reason, I assumed it would at least be made of some kind of metal. I should have known better lol
I am genuinely surprised... I didn't know HTC even still existed
They do, just don't release phones in the States anymore. It's a shame because I really liked their phones.
I really liked their phones.
Have I got good new for you! AND, it'll be gold ᶜᵒˡᵒʳᵉᵈ!
"In May 2019, then-United States President Donald Trump announced that HUAWEI and several other Chinese companies were now on the “Entity List.” Companies on this list cannot do business with any organization that operates in the United States."
Oh good golly it's going to be a wonderful day today!
Edit: as ahornsirup pointed out, this isn't really relevant. I got crossed up searching HTC with Huawei somewhere along the line.
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Is it painted the same shade he uses on his face?
So it's a recoloured 2024 phone from China with a slightly larger battery from the Philippines that can't charge as fast.
i bet that’s the “assembled in the usa” bit. putting the battery in the phone
Or putting the phone in the box with the charger and manual.
It’s for sure that’s all they’re doing.
Motorola and Google made a big deal about building a factory to do actual assembly in North Texas, and it still failed within a year.
If HTC/ trump were doing anything close to that they’d be screaming it from the hilltops.
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Did people genuinely think they had created a bespoke bit of hardware? Wow.
Pablo Escobar phone 2 electric boogaloo.
That a bunch of idiots bought it to begin with should be telling enough.
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Everything time I hear about this phone, it just gets better and better.
Eh, it seems like a nothingburger TBH.
On the 2026 Scam Scale (TM), rebranding a 2024 phone as flipping it for $500 is… not even that high?
Gestures at Polymarket advertising on the White House lawn
This is stupid and dangerous thinking.
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