The TRUMP token, the official memecoin of U.S. President Donald Trump, is down 5%, as reported by CoinDesk market data, as Trump Mobile revealed the long awaited T1 handset is set to begin shipments next week.
As CoinDesk previously reported, neither the Trump Mobile project nor the President’s memecoin has gone particularly well. Shipment dates for the handset have been repeatedly delayed — and customer support is limited — while the TRUMP token is down nearly 90%.
Another question is, what exactly is the T1 Phone? Trump Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator and doesn’t have the ability to design and manufacture its own handset. Instead, it has worked with an outside company to pick a handset and re-skin it to be Trump themed. This kind of arraignment is common; Solana re-skinned the Osom OV-1 for its first Saga phone.
The Verge got its hands on one of the T1 Phone handsets last month, and concluded that it “sure looks a lot like an HTC U24”, a handset that came out in 2024.
Exactly what company is manufacturing the Trump phone is unclear, as neither HTC nor Trump Mobile would give an answer to The Verge. Trump Mobile has previously verified that its phones have final assembly in the U.S. but originate overseas.
For buyers, the shipment update means the T1 may finally move from political merch concept to shipped consumer product.
For TRUMP holders, the 5% drop suggests the market is treating the phone less like a catalyst and more like another Trump-branded product trying to prove there is still demand after the first wave of hype.
