Trump: Dells' $6.25B Gift Among Most Generous in US History

President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell for pledging $6.25 billion toward seed investment accounts for 25 million American children, building on a program launched under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law July 4.

"This will give millions of children, middle-class families, a stake in American prosperity, a benefit from the rising stock market and a better shot at the American Dream," Trump said from the White House in an announcement that aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform. The announcement came on Giving Tuesday, a landmark day in the U.S. for philanthropy and charitable giving.

"Michael and Susan, I want to thank you for this extraordinary act of kindness and patriotism and charity," Trump said. "This is truly one of the most generous acts in the history of our country. I mean, you just don't hear about things like that. And we've got to let people know. He doesn't want and she doesn't care about that, but I do. I think when somebody does that, you've got to let them know about it."

The Trump Accounts program creates tax-advantaged investment accounts for children from families with median incomes of $150,000 or less, a figure Trump cited. The Treasury Department will contribute $1,000 to accounts for children born from 2025 through 2028, as outlined in the legislation. Trump said the accounts will become available on July 4, 2026.

The Dells' donation will seed 25 million additional accounts with $250 apiece for children ages 10 and under who do not qualify for the federal government's $1,000 contribution.

"We believe the smartest investment that we can make is an investment in children," Michael Dell said. "And this act has created a platform for families and friends and communities and companies and philanthropists to contribute to these accounts, to create a savings and opportunity and hope and prosperity for tens of millions of children in this country.

"You know, when I was 8 years old, I got a passbook savings account, and I had, I think, about $8 in it. And you go to the savings and loan, and you give them a quarter, and they'd stamp your account. And I got to see the power of compound interest early in my life. And that has brought me here to this moment. And hopefully will inspire that kind of opportunity for many more young people in this country."

Trump said he expects others to contribute to the program, including himself.

"We hope many others will follow Michael and Susan's example and make their own contributions – I'll be doing it too – to the next generation, including businesses, churches, philanthropists, family members and parents themselves," Trump said. "I think a lot of people are going to be contributing. … They might not be $6 billion plus, but they'll be a lot.

"A lot of friends of mine have already told me they're going to contribute a lot of money, and a lot of them are going to leave a lot of money in their wills. Contributions to Trump accounts will also be a great benefit for employers to offer their workers, which they'll be able to do tax-free. We expect hundreds of major companies to announce plans to contribute to these accounts in the coming months, and we've had tremendous interest in that regard."

In addition to the one-time government contribution, parents can contribute up to $5,000 a year to the accounts, according to a report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Beneficiaries can access the funds at age 18, with some constraints. Up to $2,500 of each child's annual contribution can come from a parent's employer and will not count toward taxable income.

The CEA estimated that, under a scenario of typical stock-market returns, a Trump Account for a baby born in 2026 could grow to $303,800 by age 18 and $1,091,900 by age 28 if maximum contributions are made. If no contributions are made beyond the government's initial $1,000, the balance would reach $5,800 by age 18 and $18,100 by age 28.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the bill language that created the accounts and was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Cruz co-authored a bipartisan letter Monday with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., urging Fortune 1000 CEOs to "explore matching contributions for employees' families, investing in the communities where you operate, or integrating these accounts into your philanthropic strategy."

"I was indescribably proud to draft and pass into law the language for Trump Accounts," Cruz wrote Monday on X. "As I said when it passed, this program will create fundamental and transformative changes for the financial security and personal freedoms of American citizens for generations."