CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was unable to keep it together as he discussed President Donald Trump’s long-delayed gold smartphone and ever-expanding merchandise range.
“Today, June 9, is not only primary day across a number of states where millions of Americans get to exercise their sacred right to vote, it is also the day that the Trump family starts to officially cash in on the UFC cage match planned at the White House,” Cooper began his Tuesday night segment.
He went on to deride the president’s latest venture, commemorative coins to remember the mixed martial arts brawl he is staging on the lawn of the People’s House to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and his own 80th birthday.
The coins are being sold in gold and silver editions for prices as high as $11,999.99, a surprising offering at a moment when citizens are repeatedly telling pollsters about their economic concerns and expressing anxiety over the high cost of living.
“They’re all designed by President Trump himself, which is amazing,” Cooper said in a tone of wry disdain. “Where does he find the time?”
The presenter then cut to a montage of recent Trump advertisements for products such as his “God Bless the U.S.A.” Bible range, which takes its name from the patriotic country song by Lee Greenwood and also includes the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance as additional content.
The Bibles typically cost $99.99 and are available in pink-and-gold and camouflage editions, as well as a red “First Lady” version.
Cooper also looked back to Trump championing his “Never Surrender” gold high-top sneakers, which he has never been seen wearing himself.
“Three weeks into the war with Iran, President Trump posted this to social media claiming that the same high-tops were now selling at a sneaker convention in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for $180,000,” Cooper said.
“That presidential post about sneaker prices during the war. Where does he find the time?”
It was the mention of the president’s troubled new $500 gold smartphone that truly caused the experienced newsman to crack up, however.
“While originally touted as being ‘Made in the USA,’ they’re now marketed as ‘designed with American values in mind,’” he said of the phones, before breaking off into a snigger.
“Sorry,” Cooper said, before managing to center himself and continue: “We should just pause and reflect on that claim for a moment: ‘Designed with American values in mind.’
“I don’t know what that means. Someone was thinking about America when they signed the contract to hawk these?” Cooper asked. “Experts say they closely resemble a phone made in China, but somehow, American values were thought about when they were designed. Rest easy.”
When the “T1” phone finally appeared last month, nine months on from its original release date of August 2025, it was criticized by tech experts.
Reviewers from NBC News and The Verge noted it resembled an HTC U-24 Pro, made in Taiwan, and that the Stars-and-Stripes flag printed on its exterior had only 11 stripes.
“The 13 stripes represent the 13 colonies that broke away from British rule to fight for independence, so you probably shouldn’t just lop two of them off,” wrote The Verge pundit Dominic Preston in a withering assessment.
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