A claim circulating online suggests that Trump Mobile has secured nearly 600,000 preorders for its new phone, potentially generating around $60 million in deposits. However, there is no verifiable evidence to support this figure, raising concerns about the authenticity of the information and its origins.
The assertion gained traction amid a backdrop of scrutiny directed at Trump Mobile, particularly following an open letter sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by Elizabeth Warren and a group of Democratic lawmakers. They called for an investigation into what they described as the company’s “false advertising and deceptive practices.” The timing of the sales claim coinciding with this political pressure has led many to question its validity.
Initial reports about the alleged preorder numbers emerged from various social media platforms and were amplified by a post from the press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom. This post referenced a tweet from Grok, which claimed to cite established media outlets such as Fortune, NPR, and The Guardian as sources for the preorder figure. Despite this assertion, a review of recent articles from these outlets reveals no mention of the 600,000 figure.
A deeper investigation traced the origin of the number to a viral post by the account Bricktop_NAFO on January 11, 2024. This account, which has over 99,000 followers and is known for a mix of pro-Ukraine content and anti-Trump commentary, stated that “590,000 idiots purchased Trump’s Mobile phone.” This post has since accumulated 2.8 million views and has been widely shared, contributing significantly to the misinformation spread.
The mention of 590,000 preorders appeared in reports by India’s Economic Times and Hindustan Times, both attributing the figure to an unspecified Associated Press report. Upon inquiry, Lauren Easton, Vice President of Corporate Communications at the Associated Press, confirmed that “AP’s original stories never contained such a number.”
After contacting Hindustan Times, writer Shamik Banerjee admitted that the citation was a “typo,” and the figure was actually derived from a post by The Times of India. This newspaper’s story referenced the viral social media post without providing a concrete source for the preorder claim.
The ripple effect of this misinformation has been significant, with the inflated preorder numbers now referenced as fact across multiple platforms, including MSN.com and tech site Phone Arena. Notably, AI chatbots such as Gemini and ChatGPT have also perpetuated the claim, incorrectly attributing the figure to the Associated Press and Phone Arena, respectively.
As for the actual number of preorders for the Trump Mobile phone, the company has not disclosed any figures. Attempts to contact Trump Mobile’s press office for clarification have gone unanswered. The lack of transparency regarding preorder figures leaves consumers and the public in the dark, and the propagation of the inflated sales claim highlights the challenges of discerning fact from fiction in today’s media landscape.
For those with insights into Trump Mobile or the Trump phone, tips can be submitted securely to [email protected].
