Washington, D.C. — Just hours after its official launch, Trump Mobile, the new smartphone service branded with President Donald Trump’s name, removed its online coverage map following an unexpected controversy over a geographic label.
Users quickly noticed that the map labeled the body of water south of Texas as the “Gulf of Mexico” — a name that contradicts President Trump’s executive order renaming it the “Gulf of America” earlier in his second term. The discrepancy ignited backlash and discussion across social media platforms, with users sharing screenshots of the map before it was taken offline.
As of Tuesday morning, the coverage map page on the Trump Mobile website displayed an error message stating the page could not be found. The Trump Organization has not issued a statement regarding the map’s removal.
The geographic label has been a point of contention since President Trump’s renaming order, which has been rejected internationally. The issue has escalated tensions with media outlets, particularly the Associated Press, which continues to use the globally recognized term, “Gulf of Mexico.” In response, the Trump administration barred AP journalists from select White House events, leading to a lawsuit over press access.
The controversy sheds early light on the operational underpinnings of Trump Mobile. A Reuters investigation of the website’s code revealed the mobile service is likely using T-Mobile’s network data to illustrate coverage — and it was T-Mobile’s standard map that included the “Gulf of Mexico” label.
Trump Mobile is powered by Liberty Mobile Wireless, a Florida-based company founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Matthew Lopatin. Operating as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), the firm rents wireless capacity from major telecom carriers, repackaging it under its own brand.
Marketed as a patriotic alternative to mainstream telecom providers, Trump Mobile’s product line includes plans to launch a gold-colored smartphone priced at $499, although no specific U.S. manufacturer has been named. Notably, the United States currently lacks significant domestic smartphone production.
The Trump family licensed its name to the venture, making it the latest in a series of business initiatives leveraging the former president’s political brand and cultural influence.
Despite the initial excitement around its launch, the coverage map incident has drawn renewed attention to the intersection of politics, branding, and business — and raised questions about how Trump-branded enterprises navigate sensitive geopolitical and cultural symbols.
