WATCH LIVE: Trump promotes investment accounts for kids at Georgia high school

By — Moriah Balingit, Associated Press Moriah Balingit, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-promotes-investment-accounts-for-kids-at-georgia-high-school Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH LIVE: Trump promotes investment accounts for kids at Georgia high school Politics Jul 22, 2026 12:16 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Trump Accounts could hoist children out of poverty and give more Americans the chance to benefit from investments in the stock market. But some parents say they're still waiting for the money to arrive. The president is expected to speak at 3 p.m. EDT. Watch live in the video player above. Trump on Wednesday plans to speak at a Georgia high school to promote the investment accounts, which offer $1,000 in seed money to every child born during his second term. The accounts went live July 4, two days before Trump rang the opening bells for both the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ from the Oval Office. WATCH: Trump officially launches Trump Accounts for kids, ringing Wall Street opening bell The tax-advantaged accounts, created last year through Trump's signature One Big Beautiful Bill, can be opened for any child under the age of 18. The Treasury Department boasts 6.5 million sign-ups for Trump Accounts, with 1.5 million of those eligible for the $1,000 seed funding for babies born from 2025 through 2028. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Boosters of the program say it's a chance to give more Americans a stake in the stock market. They hope it will stem the rising popularity of democratic socialists, who seek to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy to ease the cost of things like food and healthcare for low-income and middle-class Americans. After the Trump Accounts are set up, parents, relatives, friends and employers can contribute to them. Some billionaires have also pledged philanthropic contributions. The money is turned over to private firms that invest it in index funds, a type of mutual fund that tracks the performance of the stock market. The money can't be accessed until the child turns 18, and only then for specific purposes, such as going to school, opening a business or buying a home. READ MORE: How 'Trump accounts' for children work, and who will benefit most For babies born since Trump took office last year, $1,000 from the U.S. Treasury is supposed to kick off the accounts. While some parents report receiving the money, others said in interviews and on social media they're still waiting for the accounts to receive $1,000. Masaki and Kristina McLellan, new parents from Bergen County, New Jersey, said in an interview they were wary of signing up for the accounts because they worried it was a promotional stunt for the president. But the $1,000 incentive persuaded the couple, whose daught