President Donald Trump made history Monday by ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq from the Oval Office, marking the first time a sitting president has performed the ceremonial start of trading from the White House. The event also served as the official launch of Trump Accounts, a new federal savings program for children created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Flanked by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), tech billionaire Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell, and NYSE President Lynn Martin, Trump struck the bell at 9:30 a.m. ET. The president called the moment a step toward expanding economic opportunity for the next generation.
“The American dream belongs to every child, and today we are equipping the next generation with the right to claim their rightful share of it,” Bessent said. The Treasury secretary has been a key architect of the program, which allows parents to open tax-advantaged investment accounts for children who have not turned 18 by the end of the calendar year the account is opened.
Trump urged parents to act quickly. “If parents have not done so already, and they are doing so in record numbers, they should go right away to TrumpAccounts.gov and sign their child up for a free investment savings account,” he said. The president said donors are contributing “millions and millions of dollars into the accounts of poor children,” adding that “the parents can’t even believe it’s happening. It’s an amazing thing.”
The program received a major boost in December when Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion to fund the accounts. The Dell family’s contribution is one of the largest private donations to a federal savings initiative in U.S. history.
The launch comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to expand financial inclusion and investment access, even as the White House faces criticism from some lawmakers over executive overreach. A recent analysis by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro argued that Trump has gathered more executive power than the Founders intended, a charge the White House has dismissed as partisan.
The bell-ringing also highlights Trump’s ongoing engagement with financial markets and business leaders, a relationship that has at times been contentious. The president has previously clashed with the Federal Reserve over interest rates and with corporate CEOs over trade policy.
Senator Cruz, a frequent ally of the president, praised the program as a “common-sense way to give every American child a stake in our country’s prosperity.” The Texas Republican has been a vocal supporter of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which also includes tax cuts and deregulation measures.
As the administration moves to implement the Trump Accounts program, questions remain about long-term funding and oversight. The IRS has issued guidance on eligibility, but some consumer advocates have called for more transparency on how donor contributions are distributed and managed.
