Unveiling the Connection between Trump Mobile and Liberty Mobile
Every week, we delve deeper into the ongoing saga surrounding the whereabouts of Trump’s phone. This week, we unravel the intricate web linking the president’s phone company to an older company that appears to be pulling the strings.
There have been longstanding speculations that Trump Mobile is connected to Liberty Mobile, a carrier that has been using a liberty-themed brand to sell inexpensive cell phone plans to a conservative audience. However, it seems that the ties between the two companies run even deeper than initially perceived. As the anticipated launch of the Trump phone looms – possibly as soon as next month after a delay from August – it is crucial to understand who’s really behind the device, no matter whose name will be featured on its back.
Deciphering the Intricate Ties
“Liberty Mobile is umbilically connected to Trump [Mobile],” Don Hendrickson, one of the three Trump Mobile executives, reveals. The other two executives, Eric Thomas and Pat O’Brien, also happen to be the owners of Liberty Mobile.
The terms of service of Trump Mobile state that it is “powered by Liberty Mobile Wireless LLC,” but this seems to downplay the relationship. During an interview, Thomas referred to Liberty Mobile as the “enabler” of the Trump network, while Hendrickson described it as “the backbone.” It is apparent that Liberty Mobile manages all of Trump Mobile’s technical backend, relationships with the largest carriers, and many of its legal and financial obligations.
Understanding the Role of Liberty Mobile
From Hendrickson’s detailed description, it’s clear that Liberty Mobile is the company registered with all the states, that pays all the taxes, pays all the different E911 fees, the universal service tax, and the various things that each of the states require. “Liberty has the engineering staff, the teams that work with carriers, the algorithms that best optimize end-user usage,” Hendrickson explains.
Without Liberty Mobile, there would be no Trump Mobile. But what is Liberty Mobile? It’s a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) – a small operator that pays a larger operator for unused network capacity, allowing it to operate a network with minimal overhead. Most MVNOs target lower price points or niche audiences. Liberty Mobile focuses on the latter, with liberty-themed branding designed to appeal to conservatives.
The Mysterious Owners of Liberty Mobile
There is an air of mystery surrounding who exactly is behind all this. Thomas and Hendrickson, alongside O’Brien, are both owners of Liberty and are considered the “heart” of the company, but their exact roles are unclear. Even after requesting specific job titles, neither of the men confirmed them. They promised an email providing an “official structure,” which, weeks later, has not yet arrived.
Interestingly, state business records list Matt Lopatin as the founder and CEO of Liberty Mobile, with no mention of the others. Early documents suggest that the company was first registered in 2018, contradicting Hendrickson’s claim that the company “had been in the business since 2006.”
In the midst of this confusion, one unsurprising fact about Liberty Mobile is its registered address. It is located at 16001 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, also known as Trump Towers.
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