Anderson Cooper found himself in a fit of laughter during a segment on Wednesday night as he covered the expanding collection of merchandise officially endorsed by Donald Trump. The CNN anchor couldn’t hold back his amusement while discussing the latest addition—a gold-plated ‘Trump Phone’ priced at $499, which was initially promoted by the former president as being “made in the US.”
Cooper highlighted a shift in marketing, noting that these phones are now described as “designed with American values in mind.” This prompted a chuckle from Cooper, who momentarily broke from his usual composure.
“I apologize,” Cooper said amidst laughter, encouraging viewers to “pause and reflect on that claim,” before his laughter resumed. “Designed with American values in mind,” he repeated, clearly baffled by the phrase.
In his critique, Cooper pointed out a significant discrepancy: the device bears a striking resemblance to a Chinese-manufactured phone that sells for less than $200, raising questions about the product’s origins and the authenticity of its patriotic branding.
‘”Designed with American values in mind.” I don’t know what that means,’ he repeated.
Cooper pointed out how the device, which began shipping late last month, strongly resembles a Chinese phone that retails for less than $200.
‘But somehow American values were thought about when they were designed,’ Cooper commented.
The rest of the Anderson Cooper 360 segment touched on Trump-stamped items such as Bibles, sneakers, and an $11,999.99 gold medallion with a holder that comes with a portrait of the president and UFC chief Dana White.
The CNN star couldn’t contained himself while reporting on a gold-plated $499 ‘Trump Phone’ he noted was ‘originally touted as being made in the US’ released last month
Cooper also commented on an $11,999.99 gold medallion whose holder comes with a portrait of the president and UFC chief Dana White
The ‘Freedom 250’-themed silver and gold medallions went on sale Wednesday ahead of a UFC fight set to be staged outside the White House Sunday. The coins feature Trump’s face and are being billed as a collaboration between the Trump Organization and UFC.
Cooper accused the Trump family of attempting ‘to cash in on’ a ‘cage match.’ The Trump organization is run by Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.
‘The site says they are all designed by President Trump himself, which is amazing,’ Cooper said of the four coins that range in price from $250 to the $11,999.99 medallion.
‘Where does he find the time?’ the anchor asked.
‘This is, of course, not the first product the president or his family members are pushing.’
A clip of Trump touting his ‘God Bless the USA Bible’ in 2024 followed.
Cooper noted how ‘presidential editions’ commemorating Trump cost $99.99, as does a ‘Melania Trump first lady edition.’
‘Then there’s Trump Sneakers,’ Cooper continued.
Cooper also touched on Trump’s ‘Never Surrender’ high tops that retailed for $399 in 2024, before he was elected
He then touched on Trump’s ‘Never Surrender’ high tops that retailed for $399 at the time of their 2024 release.
‘And yes, they were released before he was reelected,’ Cooper said, before turning to a February 2026 Truth Social post from Trump that bragged about the same high tops being sold at a sneaker convention in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for $180,000.
‘That presidential post about sneaker prices during the war. Where does he find the time?’ Cooper asked again.
Cooper eventually got to the Trump Phone, officially the Trump Mobile T1, which he said he’d ‘be remiss not to mention.’
‘The $499 gold plated phones finally started shipping a few weeks ago, nearly a year after initially taking customers’ money,’ Cooper said.
The host then got to the Official Trump meme coin, which he noted was launched ‘three days before the inauguration’ and just ‘one of four Trump family crypto projects,’ according to Reuters.
Cooper warned that the publication found the projects had generated at least $2.3 billion.
‘Which is great for them. Not so great for more than a million investors.’
Cooper then got to the Trump Phone, which he said he’d ‘be remiss not to mention.’ He accused the Trump family of attempting to ‘cash-in’ on the conservative’s return to the White House
The Reuters analysis, which looked at thousands of documents, disclosures and blockchain records, found the Trump family has used the cryptocurrency template to generate at least $2.3 billion in profit from investors since he retook office.
When asked about Cooper’s comments, a White House spokesperson said: ‘President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public – which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses.
‘There are no conflicts of interest.’
