Trump Mobile has pushed back plans to deliver its gold-coloured smartphone by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported today.
Donald Trump's family business licensed its name to launch a US mobile service and a $499 smartphone, the T1, in June, branding it Trump Mobile. The venture is the latest effort by the president's children to monetise the Trump name.
The company's customer service team told the Financial Times that the recent US 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-coloured handset, though it remains unclear who would manufacture it, as the US has little domestic smartphone production.
Trump Mobile had rolled out a network priced at $47.45 per month. Its website said customers can reserve the phone for a $100 pre-booking fee, with delivery expected this year.
The US smartphone market is among the most saturated globally, dominated by Apple and Samsung. Nearly all devices sold in the country are made overseas, primarily in China, South Korea, and increasingly in India and Vietnam.
