Warren, Members of Congress Sound the Alarm on Potential Trump Corruption Using New Cell Phone Venture
“[W]e have concerns that President Trump’s interests in Trump Mobile could lead him, his business partners, or his appointees in his administration to improperly interfere with regulators at the expense of consumers and competitors.”
“Trump Mobile offers yet another avenue for tech and telecom companies to purchase influence with President Trump…”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), along with Representatives Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Greg Casar (D-Texas), in writing to federal agencies to ask how they plan to mitigate potential conflicts of interest involving the new wireless service offered by Trump Mobile. President Trump stands to reap profit from Trump Mobile, while as President he has significant influence over the agencies that oversee the venture and its competitors. The letter was sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United States Trade Representative.
“We write because we have concerns that President Trump’s interests in Trump Mobile could lead him, his business partners, or his appointees in his administration to improperly interfere with regulators at the expense of consumers and competitors,” wrote the lawmakers.
In June, Trump Mobile, the Trump Organization, and Donald Trump’s sons announced T1 Mobile LLC and the flagship $499 “made in USA” T1 smartphone, since backtracking on the “Made in the USA” claims to say that the smartphones are “[d]esigned with American values in mind.” The Trump Mobile site uses the Trump name under a trademark license, which is managed by a corporation fully owned by President Trump, who earned more than $6.6 million from his various licensing deals in 2024 alone.
“It is crucial for agencies tasked with upholding laws and regulations for wireless services to be able to do so unimpeded,” said the lawmakers.
The agencies named in the letter are responsible for overseeing the different parts of the marketplace that the T1 Mobile venture could affect. The FCC is responsible for regulating and enforcing the laws around interstate and international communications which includes mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like Trump Mobile. The FTC is responsible for ensuring that companies like Trump Mobile do not make false or misleading claims when marketing products. The FDA is in charge of regulating medical devices, software, and mobile medical applications, which Trump Mobile appears to plan to integrate through telehealth services provided by Doctegrity and its proprietary medical device, LifeVitals. The Departments of Commerce and Treasury, along with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, help oversee tariff policy, which presents another venue for administration officials to potentially favor Trump Mobile over other competitors.
“Trump Mobile heightens the risk that President Trump could expect preferential treatment from your agencies for this company and those that partner with it—or expect you to penalize competitors,” wrote the lawmakers.
Analysts have already raised concerns that the FCC and other regulators are favoring companies that support the President’s policies rather than evaluating mergers and other matters on the merits.
“It is critical that federal regulators continue to evenhandedly enforce competition and consumer protection laws against Trump Mobile and any companies with which it works, especially in the face of this opportunity for corruption and self-dealing for President Trump,” concluded the lawmakers.
The members of Congress asked the agencies to respond to a series of questions by September 5, 2025, including: whether they have discussed the venture with President Trump, the Trump Organization, or Trump Mobile; their plans to avoid undue political influence; and whether they would allow President Trump to intervene in the agencies’ decisions related to Trump Mobile.
###
Previous Article