Michael and Susan Dell Donate $6.25 Billion To Encourage Families To Claim 'Trump Accounts' (apnews.com)
- Reference: 0180267803
- News link: https://politics.slashdot.org/story/25/12/02/1916207/michael-and-susan-dell-donate-625-billion-to-encourage-families-to-claim-trump-accounts
- Source link: https://apnews.com/article/michael-dell-susan-trump-accounts-stock-market-poverty-inequality-7e2615d50a3fc0563109ed0eeb4c41e1
> Its structure is also unusual. Essentially, it builds on the " [3]Trump Accounts" program (PDF), where the U.S. Department of the Treasury will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts set up by Treasury for American children born between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2028. The Dells' gift will use the "Trump Accounts" infrastructure to give $250 to each qualified child under 10. Though the "Trump Accounts" became law as part of the president's signature legislation in July, the Dells say the accounts will not launch until July 4, 2026. Michael Dell said they wanted to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
>
> [...] Under the new law, "Trump Accounts" are available to any American child under 18 with a Social Security number and their families can fund the accounts, which must be invested in an index fund that tracks the overall stock market. When the children turn 18, they can withdraw the funds to put toward their education, to buy a home or to start a business. The Dells will put money into the accounts of children 10 and younger who live in ZIP codes with a median family income of $150,000 or less and who won't get the $1,000 seed money from the Treasury. The Dells hope their gift will encourage families to claim the accounts and deposit more money into it, even small amounts, so it will grow over time along with the stock market.
The report notes that the timed rollout of the $1,000 deposits gives Republicans a strategic political advantage by delivering money to voters during the 2026 midterms and halting the benefit right after the 2028 presidential election.
[1] https://apnews.com/article/michael-dell-susan-trump-accounts-stock-market-poverty-inequality-7e2615d50a3fc0563109ed0eeb4c41e1
[2] https://www.givingtuesday.org/participate/
[3] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Trump-Accounts-Give-the-Next-Generation-a-Jump-Start-on-Saving.pdf
Fraudsters, (Score:2)
start your engines!
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Minnesota has entered the room.
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You mean like colleges and universities that promise marketable skills to pay off student loans and then fail to deliver for a large proportion of their students?
Its a great idea in a capitalist society for every student to leave high school with a bankroll of capital. Will some of it be squandered? Yes. But I am willing to bet high schools students will be talking about what they plan to do with their bankroll and watching their older friends and siblings to see what worked and what didn't. In any case, ev
Every accusation is an admission (Score:1)
something something something...democrats give away money to buy votes...something something
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What votes is Michael Dell buying? Trump doesn't need votes as he cannot be reelected.
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This is all timed for the midterm elections, which Trump and the rest of the GOP are EXTREMELY interested in. And we all know, Trump is the GOP at this point, so anything that is good for him is seen as good for the GOP.
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I don't think they are going to respect the result of the elections if they are not favorable to the GOP. They act as people who de not expect to ever give power back or answer to the justice.
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> This is all timed for the midterm elections, which Trump and the rest of the GOP are EXTREMELY interested in. And we all know, Trump is the GOP at this point, so anything that is good for him is seen as good for the GOP.
And as democrats we should oppose it because Trump and the Republicans might get credit for a good idea? Since we have no ideas of our own other than "Not Trump"?
This particular idea ought to be part of the Democratic platform but in very small type and confusing language so the Republicans don't catch on. And perhaps we could add come ideas of our own for a better future instead of just "Not Trump". If you ask most Democrats what difference Harris winning would have made, it would be a very long list of t
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Trump is little more than a puppet for the Heritage Foundation. Trump hands out pardons to exactly who they tell him to. Case in point. [1]https://www.bbc.com/news/artic... [bbc.com]
This is about buying future power.
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7ek63e5xyo
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Cannot be reelected... yet. Trump still has almost three years to find a way to repeal or circumvent the 22nd amendment by then.
Most Slashdotters think that I'm trolling here, but keep in mind that 5% of people bet real money on Trump being the 2028 presidential winner on Polymarket. Either they know something we don't, so they're pulling a very expensive prank/troll on us.
Why would I want a Dell? (Score:2)
I can get a ThinkPad for $300.
Re: What's with American presidents' ego projects? (Score:5, Insightful)
To be fair, Obamacare is called the Affordable Care Act but was nicknamed Obamacare by Republicans trying to disparage it. The LBJ space center was originally the Manned Spacecraft Center and it was renamed by Congress over a decade later. The Bush tax cuts were just called that because he implemented them. Trump however, is blatantly trying to name everything he can because he knows nobody else ever will.
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They were called the Bush tax cuts as a disparaging term. Bush campaigned on eliminating the debt, so fast. But the economy hit a road bump, so he cut taxes. We even then went to war and didn't pay for it. So yea, he gets to wear that. Typical fiscal-cough-cough-conservative. We've been living in his dystopian "the economy sucks so keep taxes low" world view ever sense. Even the democrats couldn't buck the trend. Which is a damn shame.
This will be great! (Score:2)
If you can navigate through all the incredibly complex hurdles they throw in your way, you too can have just enough money to almost pay for your child's emergency room visit before they die from hepatitis. [1]https://www.nytimes.com/2025/1... [nytimes.com]
Of course that all assumes the hospital near you is still open after millions of Americans lose their health insurance and can no longer pay for care.
But political points, amirite?
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/health/vaccine-committee-hepatitis-b-children-trump-rfk-jr.html
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They use it to buy influence and screw with the population - I have a problem with it!
Poor owns a car and maybe a house (Score:2)
That is what the poor or working class do, they don't own stocks that is locked up in an account. The rich can afford to own much more, therefore mostly stocks and bonds and even speculative items. It is great that the Dells are giving this away, but the effect will be minimal given the name of the account which is in itself a give away as to the motives and is a gimmick.
The DT regime backed by big US businesses is doing this because they can't give the poor and middle class a working wage and keep pric
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I believe everyone to be a bot, or I guess now "AI," just to get engagement and site traffic numbers up.
Re:SlashDot is now a dead political site (Score:4, Interesting)
Forgive me if I'm skeptical of a man who unleashed grift after grift on simpletons. Like the latest example of his golden cell phone. He accepted orders and has delivered nothing. [1]https://www.businessinsider.co... [businessinsider.com]
Bibles, booze, watches, clothes, all manner of tacky shit [2]https://www.rollingstone.com/p... [rollingstone.com]
Pretty soon he's going to surpass Gene Simmons on marketing made in China garbage.
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/where-is-trump-phone-release-2025-11
[2] https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-watches-coins-crypto-guide-election-grifts-1235113285/
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Having the hyper rich donate directly to various govt programs is often a sign of slipping into an oligarchy. Otherwise this isn't too terribly notable.
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"If this is what SlashDot has become, then I'm done."
point to a 3 month period in the past 15 years when Slashdot was different, please
The future (Score:1)
Money only available in the future is on one hand pointless imo because this won't outpace inflation*. On the other hand, it will definitely turn peoples eyes toward the future, which is invaluable.
*Rich people money way outpaces inflation because they keep it in investment accounts, borrow against it at extremely low interest rates, and re-invest, providing huge leverage.
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They say financial literacy is poor in the US.
Did you miss the part where it has to be invested in a market tracking index fund? The S&P 500, which is what people usually mean when they say "the market" has returned almost 10% / year over the last hundred years. Index fund fees are usually a fraction of a percent. So ~9% / year, subtract the US average inflation rate this century of 3% and you've got 6% real growth. No imaginary leverage scams needed.
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That's the official inflation rate. The stuff people actually have to buy has gone up way more.
wow (Score:1)
that is a lot of interest that one one is getting. wonder if it even says if it goes bust they get the base funding back.
Expanded child tax credits... (Score:3)
...did something very similar (without the required stock investments) in a much more efficient way, and didn't require a billionaire to donate funds. Republicans hated the expanded child tax credits (although the expanded tax credits were very good at reducing the number of children in poverty), but are now celebrating this as a big "win"...because, I guess, it includes three of the Republicans' favorite things: 1) billionaires, 2) pretending the private sector does everything better than the government (and that the private sector does not directly benefit from subsidies, regulations, and other benefits provided by the government), and 3) big, fat, juicy profits for banks and Wall Street.
Total scam! (Score:3)
I don't know how many billions they have to trash. This is a scam.
A recent tax accounting conference to update accountants on the new laws etc. just happened in my city. People travel around the country for these things. The Trump savings account for children is complete shit. Nobody could understand the benefit to doing it; even the banks that manage it gain little and the IRS is somehow supposed to admin the things because the parents are NOT co-owners on the fund. Also, it must have Trumps NAME in the
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> but the wealthy in my extended family bootstrapped from poverty
And the only reasons they were able to do that was the productive society that they, you, me and everyone else plays a hand in creating
I hear all this, you know, 'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever.' No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because
Only good for free (Score:2)
> Under the new law, "Trump Accounts" are available to any American child under 18 with a Social Security number and their families can fund the accounts
So, if I have kids but I'm not having more kids in the next 3 years, then why would I want a Trump account vs my own account somewhere?
Seems good if you are having a kids, its free money to invest for a long time. But if you have to fund the account you don't need a Trump account.
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I think it's basically like a pre-provisioned 529 and the govt puts a little bit of money in there to get you started. CA has a similar thing already I think.
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These accounts may end up being a lifehack for affluent families to get $90,000 into the child's Roth IRA when they turn 18. Stay tuned as there are various moving parts that would have to be clarified as legal.
Another rugpull? (Score:2)
Or is this like Scott's Tots?
A worthy investment (Score:2)
Given all the things Trump has been involved in and his track record on charity and honest I'd say this is a worthy investment for fools.
No doubt the Dells are getting something for their troubles...
Tiny peen (Score:2)
Why does EVERYTHING have to have this morons name on it. And why does he speak about himself in the third person. Pathetic.
Slight Correction (Score:2)
IF the children turn 18, they can withdraw the funds THAT MIGHT REMAIN to put toward their education, to buy a home or to start a business.
Is this a bribe? (Score:2)
> ... "Trump Accounts" infrastructure to give $250
Is this meant to impress parents? If parents had any self-awareness, they'd demand ALL billionaires pay taxes to vaccinate, feed and educate the country's children: That like other countries, the federal government enforced a minimum level of healthcare and education (more than a NCLB exam) by the states. At the moment, many US states treat children as an avoidable expense.
Remember, many states are converting education funding to a voucher scheme: Do voucher-funded schools care about NCLB? Do they re
Welp (Score:1, Insightful)
If i was considering buying Dell in the future I sure as hell ain't now.
But George Soros amirite folks?!
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Oh you mean when it went to court and Biden both times respected the courts rulings? That time?
Oh yeah, you don't think Presidents should have to listen to courts! What am I saying?!
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"Both sides" is bullshit.
You will never find Biden-era equivalents of:
- Ordering the US military to fire on shipwreck survivors.
- Pardoning someone who helped flood the US with cocaine.
- Pardoning a hedge-fund manager who fleeced families out of millions.
And these are examples from just the last couple of weeks.
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> Republicans didn't weaponize the courts and start firing off 100 court orders a week by judges using clown logic either
Uhhh James Comey, Hunter Biden, Ann Selzer and I could rattle off another dozen or two that might have a disagreement with that statement. Biden also didn't weaponize the DoJ like this you silly goose, this should have be grounds for removal alone, the fact you won't even acknowledge what a miscarriage of our justice system this is par for the course, but uhhhh, "both sides"
[1]Trump accidentally posted message pressuring Pam Bondi to charge his enemies, source says [nbcnews.com]
> I'm starting to wonder how much longer this can go before we end up like the UK.
I wonder how the UK got into their mess? Cou
[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-accidentally-posted-message-pressuring-pam-bondi-charge-enemies-rcna236830
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Also hold on, this is even more ridiculous then at first glance. You lead off with talking about the "balance of power" then complain about court orders *from the Judicial Branch* and pretend like these are court orders from the Democratic party. We truly are cooked.
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I don't think you know what the word "illegal" means.
Re:More like you're an idiot (Score:2)
Your whataboutism is a weak, stupid person's argument and isn't even tangentially related to anything being discussed here.
Go fuck your own face.
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It's a generous gift, if a bend of the knee to his royal lowness. Let the monarchy reign. We have work to do.
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Michael Dell is a gigantic piece of shit. This should not be news.
Serious question (Score:1, Troll)
> If i was considering buying Dell in the future I sure as hell ain't now.
> But George Soros amirite folks?!
I am seriously confused about the rationale here.
You thought Dell was a good fit for your next purchase. You've done some research, and Dell appears to have met your needs for quality and price.
The owners of Dell pledged $625 billion to a system that should help children in various ways. There have been a lot of complaints recently from young people about how the system has failed them: housing is too expensive, not enough high paying jobs, they can't afford to get married, own a home, and have kids.
This do
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> You thought Dell was a good fit for your next purchase. You've done some research, and Dell appears to have met your needs for quality and price.
That can all be true but I can still choose to go out of my way to find an alternative because fuck this guy. He could put his billions into a hundred other thigns that could help kids but he made this particular decision .
> There have been a lot of complaints recently from young people about how the system has failed them: housing is too expensive, not enough high paying jobs, they can't afford to get married, own a home, and have kids.
So you wouldn't be opposed to raising taxes on all those billionaires just the same to fund it right? Right?
> it occurs to me that there is a universe where "jacks smirking reven" is not a US citizen
And to me, sitting in my middle class suburban American home, if you don't see all the myriad ways this program, this donation and everything about this admin is an affront to what
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> t occurs to me that there is a universe where "jacks smirking reven" is not a US citizen
That just occurred to you? Whether US or human or both or neither he is clearly a propagandist. He just repeats cliched talking points that support his "side".
You don't have to think Trump had anything other than self-promotion in mind to see that these accounts will benefit the kids who have them. But its also important to realize the tax money spent is coming out of the budget somewhere else that might benefit them even more.
Dell's money on the other hand is likely coming out of a rich billionaire's inhe
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Why listen to an AC who can't even be assed to reply to the right comment? Open the schools!!!
> But its also important to realize the tax money spent is coming out of the budget somewhere else that might benefit them even more.
Me when I totally understand how government budgets and taxes work. Open the schools!!!
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It is $6.25 bn and while it is generous it is only $250 per child born during that narrow period of election significance. In most cases, the parents could ill afford much contribution because of the tariff tax imposed that raised their annual purchases by $2000 which could be 10% of their disposable income.
Re:Serious question (Score:4, Informative)
Meanwhile Biden actually reduced childhood poverty and Republicans stripped this program away are when replacing it with something of 1/8 the dollars and claiming a victory lap:
[1]The expanded child tax credit briefly slashed child poverty. Here's what else it did [npr.org]
In July 2021, for example, with the first monthly payment, Parolin and Curran write that "the monthly child poverty rate fell from 15.8 percent to 11.9 percent. The first Child Tax Credit payment in July 2021, on its own, reduced the monthly child poverty rate by... 26 percent."
[1] https://www.npr.org/2022/01/27/1075299510/the-expanded-child-tax-credit-briefly-slashed-child-poverty-heres-what-else-it-d
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There would be congressional hearings at 9am tomorrow morning if this was Soros.
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"Soros Foundation to Donate $6.25 Billion To Encourage Families To Claim 'Biden Accounts'" and watch Republicans heads explode. It would be 24/7 on Fox.
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Yeah, the same.
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Why were you considering buying a Dell in the first place?
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Well first it was just a figure of speech but second I have no particular issue with Dell hardware. I'm not a fan but they've been perfectly cromulent systems when I've used them (i'm a Thinkpad fan myself)
But with something like this much like many have done with [1]Target [cnn.com] this year it's just a little nudge from "ambivalent" to "actively avoid"
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/business/target-stock-economy