Nine months later, the Trump phone still doesn’t exist | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Nine months later, the Trump phone still doesn’t existComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...TechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsPolicyClosePolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PolicyNine months later, the Trump phone still doesn’t existThere’s no good reason to think this phone is real.There’s no good reason to think this phone is real.by Dominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonNews EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Dominic PrestonMar 20, 2026, 5:46 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: The Verge / ShutterstockPart OfWe’re still talking about the Trump phonesee all updates Dominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Dominic Preston is a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. Once again, we’re waiting for a response.It’s been more than a month since two Trump Mobile executives showed me what they claimed was the T1 Phone, and in the time since, there’s been… nothing. No news, no announcements, no phone. And the company has gone back to ignoring my emails.When I spoke to Don Hendrickson and Eric Thomas in early February, I was told that within “the next couple of weeks” the Trump Mobile website would be updated with a full spec sheet and imagery for the updated version of the phone that I was shown over a video call. That was six weeks ago, and the website hasn’t changed a bit.The pair also told me that by mid-March they expected the device to have cleared its certification with T-Mobile, the last hurdle before it could officially go on sale and start shipping to buyers. We’re getting into late March now, so I emailed Hendrickson and Thomas to ask if that certification has been completed, and received no reply. I emailed T-Mobile too, which declined to comment.The Trump Mobile executives wouldn’t commit to a March release date when we spoke, so perhaps this isn’t quite as egregious as when the T1 phone missed its August, September, and December 2025 launches. Still, it’s now been more than nine months since the phone was announced, in which time we’ve seen one bad render, two different spec sheets, and a blurry glimpse over Google Meet.This remains the best look we’ve had yet at what is supposed to be the final phone. Screenshot: Dominic Preston / The VergeIf the Trump phone is real, it’s supposed to arrive soon. I remain unconvinced that it will — but as someone who’s dying to review it, I want to believe.Got inside information on Trump Mobile or the Trump phone? Reach out securely from a personal device to tips@theverge.com, or see our How to Tip Us page.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Dominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonNews EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Dominic PrestonGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsMobileCloseMobilePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MobilePhonesClosePhonesPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PhonesPolicyClosePolicyPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PolicyPoliticsClosePoliticsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PoliticsReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechMore in: We’re still talking about the Trump phoneTrump Mobile is just one in the crowd of conservative carriersDominic PrestonMar 13The Trump phone was a no-show at the world’s biggest mobile showDominic PrestonMar 6The Trump phone sure looks a lot like this HTC handsetDominic PrestonFeb 27Most PopularMost PopularMarc Andreessen is a philosophical zombieValve’s huge SteamOS 3.8 update adds long-awaited features — and supports Steam MachineBelkin’s wireless HDMI adapter freed me from a long annoying cable when I travelGoogle Search is now using AI to replace headlinesA rogue AI led to a serious security incident at MetaThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Nine months after its initial announcement, the Trump phone remains conspicuously absent from the consumer market, a situation that continues to defy conventional explanations and raise significant questions regarding the viability of the project. Dominic Preston, reporting for The Verge, has been persistently pursuing updates on the development of the T1 Phone from Trump Mobile executives, Don Hendrickson and Eric Thomas, since early February 2026. The core of Preston’s investigation centers around a promised timeline – initially a two-week update on the phone’s specifications and imagery, followed by a mid-March certification from T-Mobile, the crucial final step before launch. However, despite repeated emails and attempts to secure information, neither Hendrickson nor Thomas have offered any substantive updates or confirmations.

The situation is further complicated by a lack of tangible evidence. The project has yielded a series of inconsistent deliverable’s: one questionable render, two differing spec sheets, and a single, blurry image captured during a Google Meet call. This has resulted in a persistent sense of doubt regarding the phone's existence, with Preston expressing considerable skepticism about its eventual realization. The protracted delay, extending across multiple launch dates – August, September, and December of 2025 – only exacerbates this uncertainty. The company's unwillingness to provide a concrete release date adds to the growing concern.

The investigation highlights a pattern of evasiveness from Trump Mobile’s executives, characterized by unanswered emails and a deliberate lack of communication. T-Mobile, contacted directly, declined to comment, reinforcing the impression that the phone’s development is either stalled or intentionally obscured. Despite Preston’s efforts to obtain a specific timeline or confirmation of the certification process, he has received no concrete information. The entire ordeal underscores a lack of transparency and reliability from the company central to this ambitious, and increasingly dubious, technological endeavor. The correspondent, Dominic Preston, continues to document the situation, driven by a desire to ascertain whether the Trump phone will ever materialize or if it remains a phantom product, a persistent footnote in the landscape of consumer electronics.