President Trump pulled off something no sitting president has done before: ringing the opening bell for both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq simultaneously, from the Oval Office. The July 6 ceremony doubled as a launch event for “Trump Accounts,” a new class of tax-advantaged investment accounts for American children under 18.
The accounts are a product of the Republicans’ 2025 tax reform package. They come with a one-time $1,000 seed contribution from the US Treasury for babies born between 2025 and 2028, and they only allow investments in stock-index ETFs or mutual funds tracking broad US equity benchmarks like the S&P 500.
What Trump Accounts actually are
Families, and potentially employers, can contribute to these accounts on behalf of minors. The money can only go into funds that track broad domestic indexes. Sector-specific ETFs are out. Foreign-focused funds are out. And notably, crypto is completely absent from the menu.
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett previewed the program in late June, but the Oval Office ceremony gave it the full presidential treatment. Cabinet members, corporate CEOs, and even children attended the event.
