Trump Orders Millions of Kids Into Stock Market, Because Childhood Needs 401(k)s Now

KEY POINTS

•Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital, said Trump wants to auto-create accounts for 50 to 70 million American kids by slicing through red tape.
•Trump Accounts launched July 4, depositing $1,000 for newborns born between 2025 and 2028 with donations from Michael Dell, Gwynne Shotwell, and major banks.
•The program is currently opt-in via IRS Form 4547 or online, but Trump’s team aims for automatic enrollment using Social Security data within 90 days.

In a move that could make toddlers trade stocks before mastering the alphabet, Altimeter CEO Brad Gerstner revealed that Donald Trump wants to auto-create up to 70 million 'Trump Accounts' for U.S. children under 18 by summer 2026. Launched on July 4 with a red-white-blue fireworks of finance, these accounts automatically deposit $1,000 from the Treasury for newborns from 2025 to 2028. Tech and Wall Street titans like Michael Dell and SpaceX's Gwynne Shotwell gave millions, joining Goldman Sachs and Bank of America pledging to fund employees’ kids. The program is junket-style: opt-in via IRS Form 4547 or website, yet now the Trump squad wants to pull a cyber-coup using Social Security numbers to enroll kids whether parents RSVP or not. Researchers cheer because opt-in for kids’ investments was about as popular as broccoli, so auto-enroll means more kids aimless in the market and less parental babysitting. Over a billion dollars has poured in just weeks, a toddler bull market fueled by political gusto and very determined grown-ups who think childhood is the new Silicon Valley.