Popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson, known online as JerryRigEverything, has heavily criticized the Trump-branded T1 smartphone, asserting it is not made in the United States and is merely a reskin of another existing device. Nelson, in a nearly ten-minute review, stated that while there is nothing inherently wrong with products manufactured in China, the device's initial marketing as "proudly designed and built in the United States" is inaccurate.
The claim of American manufacturing was made in a June 2025 press release from Trump Mobile, but the language on the company's website was altered weeks later. The Trump Mobile site now indicates the device is "designed with American values in mind" and "shaped by American innovation," with American teams guiding design and quality.
One of Trump Mobile's founders, Don Hendrickson, told The Verge that the company had only stated it was a "goal" to be manufactured in America. Trump Mobile operates as a licensee of the Trump name and is not directly part of the Trump Organization.
When the T1 phone eventually shipped in May after delays, tech critics raised concerns. CNET managing editor Patrick Holland described its design as occasionally resembling "a urine sample." Nelson echoed these sentiments, suggesting the T1 shared similarities with the HTC U24 Pro and stating, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably just a spray-painted gold HTC U24 Pro."
A spokesperson for HTC previously informed The Verge that the company "does not design or manufacture phones for third parties."
Nelson opened his review by questioning whether the Trump T1 smartphone represented a genuine investment in American manufacturing or was simply a "quick cash grab." He also referenced controversies including Donald Trump's name appearing in the Epstein files and the financial aspects of his presidency.
Demonstrating his findings, Nelson showed that the T1 and the HTC U24 Pro were fully functional with swapped motherboards, concluding, "Caught red-handed, hook, line, and sinker."
"Calling this phone American-made is such an easy-to-disprove, low-hanging, effortless lie and such a blatant cash grab," Nelson remarked. "He legitimately thinks we are all super stupid, and yet maybe we are."
Nelson concluded his review with a broad statement, suggesting that "anything with the Trump logo on it can pretty much be considered a janky, impecunious cash grab for a petty, orange, morally insolvent billionaire and his kids who can’t stop themselves from grifting."