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Gavin Newsom Trolls Trump Over Gold Cell Phones, “You Don’t Say”

by in Daily Edition | January 1, 2026 3 min read

Gov. Gavin Newsom

Gov. Newsom, CAL FIRE_Official, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Trump Mobile, a cellular phone service launched by the Trump Organization in June, is delaying initial shipments of its gold-colored smartphones. The company — which initially promised an American-made phone but is now promising an “American-proud” phone — said the delay was largely due to the November federal government shutdown, and that Trump smartphones might be delivered at the end of January.

[Note: Every popular brand of mobile phone is made overseas, with Apple — in a move that drew President Trump’s criticism — famously moving production of the iPhone from China to India last year.]

When CBS News reported on the Trump Mobile delay, Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom responded on social media by writing: “You don’t say.”

Consumers ordering the T1 Phone are asked to pay a $100 deposit on the $499 product. The $47.45 monthly service, The 47 Plan, is promoted as “a lifestyle bundle, a political statement, and a membership into a cultural movement” and as “a badge of loyalty and a way to show alignment with the sitting president.”

Trump critic and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich responded to the delay in November: “Remember when Trump’s sons announced a made-in-the-USA smartphone and a new wireless service, Trump Mobile? Three months later, the phone’s ship date keeps getting delayed with no explanation — although the company continues to collect $100 deposits. The grift never ends.”

[Note: Trump supporters aren’t limited to using the unavailable gold-colored phones, but are also able to purchase second-hand smartphones from Apple, the iPhone 15 and 14, as well as Samsung’s 24 and 23.]

As seen below, the President’s sons, Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, who run the Trump Organization, said in June they had “partnered with some of the greatest people in the industry” to target “lackluster performance” in the mobile sector. (The Trumps are licensing their name for use in the mobile sector; they are not engaged in building cell network infrastructure.)

Critics of the Trump family’s entry into the mobile business express concern that the Trumps are doing business in a sector highly regulated by the federal government, creating numerous potential conflicts of interest.