U.S. President Donald Trump publicly criticized AT&T (NYSE:T) on Monday after experiencing technical difficulties during a major conference call with American faith leaders. Trump claimed the wireless carrier failed to deliver reliable service, marking the second time such an issue had occurred.
"I'm doing a major Conference Call with Faith Leaders… and AT&T is totally unable to make their equipment work properly," Trump wrote on social media, urging AT&T’s leadership to take action. He added that his administration may switch to another provider for future calls due to the repeated problems.
AT&T responded swiftly on social platform X, stating that its initial analysis found the disruption was not caused by its network but rather an issue with the conference call platform. The company pledged to further investigate the situation to help prevent similar incidents.
Despite the temporary technical setback, AT&T’s stock momentarily pared gains following Trump’s post but soon recovered.
Trump, who apologized to faith leaders for the extended delay, suggested the call might need to be rescheduled and reiterated his intent to consider alternative carriers going forward.
This incident comes amid Trump’s ongoing criticism of AT&T, dating back to his first term when the company owned CNN, a frequent target of his administration. Earlier this month, Trump’s family business launched a mobile service and a $499 smartphone under the brand “Trump Mobile,” further underscoring his interest in telecommunications.
The dispute underscores Trump’s continued influence over major corporations and his use of social media to spotlight performance issues, especially during his 2024 presidential campaign. While AT&T seeks to reassure users, the episode highlights the growing scrutiny on telecom providers amid high-profile events.