Trump Mobile delays shipment of gold-colored smartphone, FT reports

Trump Mobile has pushed back plans to deliver its gold-colored smartphone by year-end, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Donald Trump’s family business licensed its name to launch a U.S. mobile service and a US$499 smartphone, the T1, in June, branding it Trump Mobile. The venture is the latest effort by the president’s children to monetize the Trump name.

The company's customer service team told the Financial Times that the recent U.S. government shutdown had disrupted shipments and warned there was a "strong possibility" the device would not be sent out this month.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The company had promised a gold-colored handset, though it remains unclear who would manufacture it, as the U.S. has little domestic smartphone production.

Trump Mobile had rolled out a network priced at US$47.45 per month. Its website said customers can reserve the phone for a US$100 pre-booking fee, with delivery expected this year.

The U.S. smartphone market is among the most saturated globally, dominated by Apple AAPL.O and Samsung 005930.KS. Nearly all devices sold in the country are made overseas, primarily in China, South Korea, and increasingly in India and Vietnam.

(Reuters)