The Trump Organisation, which controls the family brand and business ventures connected with the US President, has introduced Trump Mobile, a gold-coloured phone and a mobile plan.
Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, sons of President Donald Trump, unveiled the mobile phone and plan in New York on Monday, saying it's just a hint of the connectivity offerings to come from the Trump Mobile company.
“We are going to be introducing an entire package of products where people can come and they can get telemedicine on their phones for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance on their cars, unlimited texting to 100 countries around the world,” Donald Trump Jr said at Trump Tower.
The T1 phone will be available in September for $499, according to the Trump Mobile website.
Trump Mobile says it will also make available a “47 Plan” for monthly wireless coverage at $47.45 per month. “Unlimited talk, text and data, no contract and you can cancel anytime,” the website says.
It also said that Trump Mobile's technical support staff will be based in the US.
“At Trump Mobile, we believe wireless service should reflect American values − simple, honest, and built for hardworking people,” the website reads.
“Whether you're bringing your own phone or activating a new device, Trump Mobile makes it simple,” it continues.
The website for the phone company appears to have been hastily put together. One of the images purporting to show a satisfied customer is actually a stock photo available on FreePik.
The introduction of Trump Mobile will likely add to the criticisms faced by the Trump family that it is profiting off the presidency. Mr Trump's cryptocurrency endeavours have come under similar criticisms.
Timothy Kneeland, a political science and history professor at Nazareth College in upstate New York, said that although the Trump family's recent business moves are highly unethical, there are other examples in history of relatives of presidents seeking to line their pockets.
“Some presidential relatives have tried to leverage their relationship to their presidential kin for fame and money, most famously Billy Carter, who promoted 'Billy Beer' while his brother Jimmy was in the White House,” he explained.
Prof Kneeland, however, said the constitution is not ambiguous when it comes to presidents and outside business ventures.
“The Emoluments Clauses found in Article II forbid presidents from profiting during their time in office,” he said.
“This reads that 'the President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States, or any of them'.”
Peter Yacobucci, a political science professor at Buffalo State University didn't mince words as to whether or not there was a conflict of interest regarding the branding of the phone.
"It's pure grift," he said.
"It's a substandard product sold under false premises, and not actually made in US to gullible customers," he continued, adding the President Trump also controls tariffs on products like smartphones, adding another point to lengthy list of interest conflicts.
"The scope and scale of the corruption is way beyond anything in US history," Prof Yacobucci added.
