Trump rings Wall Street’s opening bells as he ties his presidency to stock market gains
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- Trump rang the NYSE and Nasdaq opening bells from the Oval Office on Monday to promote Trump Accounts — investment vehicles for children tied to stock indexes — created as part of Republicans' 2025 tax and spending cuts law.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last December that 38% of American adults don't own stocks and that Trump Accounts aim to push that figure "down to zero."
- The S&P 500 posted 17.9% gains in 2025, on top of 26.3% in 2023 and 25% in 2024 during Biden's presidency, with the benchmark up roughly 10% so far this year.
- The consumer price index has climbed to 4.2% over the past 12 months — up from 3% when Trump started his second term in January 2025 — which the article attributes partly to his tariffs and the start of the war in Iran.
- Only 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's economic leadership in a June AP-NORC poll, even as he told reporters last week the market is "setting records virtually every day" and added: "Thank you, President Trump."
Why it matters: The bell-ringing gamble exposes a mismatch between Trump's political messaging and voter reality: 33% approve of his economic leadership and 38% of adults don't own stocks at all, meaning his signature "market is winning" pitch may not reach households feeling 4.2% inflation ahead of the November midterms. The S&P 500's two biggest recent years — 26.3% in 2023 and 25% in 2024 — were Biden's, not Trump's, undercutting his ownership claim.