A new initiative unveiled by the Trump administration will allow American taxpayers—whose dollars have long supported major corporations and market growth—to share directly in the wealth those systems generate.
Speaking at a White House event, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described “Trump Accounts” as a fundamental shift in how Americans participate in the economy, calling it “the biggest merger in history—the merger of Main Street and Wall Street.”
“For decades, American taxpayers have funded the infrastructure, research, and innovation that helped build some of the world’s largest corporations and made billionaires out of a select few,” Bessent said. “Now, every American will get a piece of the action.”
Under the program, every U.S. citizen would begin life with an investment account tied to the performance of the American economy, allowing even small contributions to grow over time through market participation. Bessent emphasized that the accounts are not a traditional government benefit but a framework built around ownership and private investment.
“Trump Accounts are the president’s gift to the American people,” Bessent said. “They represent perhaps the most groundbreaking policy innovation of modern times. Every American becomes a shareholder in the most powerful economy on earth.”
Bessent argued that taxpayers have effectively subsidized transformative technologies—such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced manufacturing—through public spending and policy support, while the financial rewards flowed disproportionately to large corporations and their executives. Trump Accounts, he said, are designed to rebalance that equation.
“Every American will capture a portion of the productivity gains brought about by these world-changing technologies,” Bessent said. “When Wall Street succeeds, Main Street succeeds—and now that success is fused together.”
The program also aims to address the fact that an estimated 38 percent of American adults currently own no stocks. By introducing investment accounts from birth, administration officials say financial literacy and long-term wealth building become part of everyday life rather than the privilege of the few.
Bessent described the initiative as creating an “ownership economy” that restores a social contract rooted in individual stakeholding, arguing it could reshape opportunity for generations to come and ensure that American growth benefits those who have paid for it all along. Additionally, with their own accounts, young people will be more attuned to the country’s capitalist economy and be less beholden to government for financial support through welfare and other handouts.