Donald Trump’s gold T1 smartphone, widely dubbed the Trump Phone, is drawing criticism for a serious error in its depiction of the U.S. flag. What launched with patriotic flair has turned controversial, as the detail touching national symbolism draws debate from both critics and supporters.
Donald Trump’s T1 phone under fire for US flag design issue
Donald Trump’s gold-finished T1 phone has stumbled into controversy after a design flaw involving the United States flag drew public scrutiny.
The $499 Trump-branded smartphone, already facing pushback from MAGA supporters, is drawing new criticism over a polished promotional video that seems to lean heavily on AI-generated content.
Earlier this week, Trump Mobile rushed to address mounting frustration from customers who had placed deposits. On Wednesday, the company released a video stating that T1 Phones would finally begin shipping soon, with fulfillment starting “this week” for those who had paid in advance.
The video appeared to be a response to mounting skepticism from buyers about whether the phones would actually ship. The T1’s design is pitched as “designed with American values in mind” and “shaped by American innovation.” Separately, the brand highlights support from “American teams helping guide design and quality.”
However, the camera, and more notably, the flag design, seems to have changed. The U.S. flag has 13 stripes for the original colonies, yet the renderings display 11 stripes in one video clip and only 9 in another, per The Verge. The media network notes that the inconsistent stripe count likely stems from the video being AI-generated.
The design error went viral on X, where a post questioning the flag’s accuracy drew numerous replies within hours. “What does that say for American values under the Trump administration?” questioned an X user. “Costing a fiver max!! Cheap Chinese s**t!” echoed another. “American what? LOL..” read a tweet.
According to CNN, the device bears a resemblance to a Walmart handset manufactured in China and priced at $127.99. The figure is close to the $100 deposit charged to customers a year ago for the gold Trump-branded phone.
Originally reported by Sibanee Gogoi on Mandatory.
