Trump Rings NYSE Bell to Push Trump Accounts
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- President Trump rang the NYSE and Nasdaq opening bells from the Oval Office on Monday, using the symbolic moment to promote the launch of Trump Accounts, a vehicle for children to invest in stock indexes.
- Trump Accounts were created as part of Republicans' 2025 tax and spending cuts bill, seeding each child with $1,000 from the government plus additional billionaire contributions.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared that 38% of American families have no exposure to equity markets, framing the accounts as broadening stock ownership beyond affluent households.
- Michael Dell and his wife Susan pledged $6.25 billion to Trump Accounts, joining separate pledges from Ray Dalio and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, who said Monday she would donate SpaceX stock to the accounts.
- Trump's economic approval stands at just 33% in a June AP-NORC survey, with CPI inflation climbing to 4.2% over the past 12 months from 3% when he took office in January 2025.
- The S&P 500 has gained roughly 10% so far in 2025, following 25% gains in 2024 and 26.3% in 2023 during Joe Biden's presidency.
- Trump joked that children had missed early stock market gains due to the launch delay: "We should have acted faster."
Why it matters: With 33% approving his economic leadership and CPI at 4.2%, Trump is staking political capital on equity gains most voters don't directly own — 38% of American families have no stock exposure, per Bessent. Trump Accounts seed $1,000 per child plus billionaire top-ups, betting future generations' market stake will soften today's inflation anger at the midterms.
