Susan Dell has President Donald Trump's "complete and total endorsement" for office after she visited the White House and urged parents and grandparents to sign up for the Trump Accounts and invest in their children's future.
"Michael, is she thinking about running for office?" Trump asked Susan Dell's husband and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell after Susan delivered remarks. "Because I'll endorse her immediately. She has my complete and total endorsement. Good job."
The Dells, who had previously pledged a "historic" $6.25 billion to the newborn accounts, according to a news release, visited the White House on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and stood alongside Trump as he announced that "every single eligible minor child in America has now been automatically
enrolled in a Trump account," ensuring "every American child has a fair shot at the American dream."
"Over the past month, as our contribution has reached millions of children's accounts, Michael and I have heard from so many parents and kids and grandparents with these beautiful letters that have truly moved us," Susan Dell said while standing next to Trump. "Children have told us that they want to become entrepreneurs. They want to become nurses, doctors, engineers. They want to build their own company someday."
Created as part of Trump's mega-legislation passed in 2025, a Trump Account is a "tax-deferred savings account for children under 18," according to the White House.
Susan Dell said the accounts are not just about the money.
"These things are so wonderful and so important. It's not just the money that matters. That does matter, but knowing someone believes in you and your future, that matters just as much," she said. "To every child across the country, these accounts are for you. We believe in you, and we want you to dream big because we know you can make your dreams come true."
She added the accounts are "ready" and "waiting for you," urging parents to claim their "child's accounts and start adding money to their accounts and preserving a wonderful future for them."
The Dells, who have been married since 1989, have an estimated net worth of $150 billion, according to Time Magazine, and intend to give most of it away before they die.
'Fulfilling the promise'
In his remarks, Michael Dell said he started Dell Technologies with $1,000.
"In America, small beginnings can become extraordinary things," he said. "That's why we came here last year and we committed to children in America."
Dell said the plan was to contribute $250 to 25 million of the accounts and that 10 million of those accounts had been funded already as of Oct. 7 with the rest to be funded by the end of the week, "fulfilling the promise that we made to American children late last year."
The Dells' contribution, however, is limited to kids living in ZIP codes with median incomes below $150,000, USA TODAY previously reported.
Trump Account recipients, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, IRS CEO Frank Bisignano and Brad Gerstner were also present in office as Trump made the announcement.
How do the Trump Accounts work?
"The accounts are designed to grow with investment earnings over time, and when the child becomes an adult, the accounts generally function like a traditional IRA," their description says.
The accounts come with a one-time $1,000 federal government investment. That seed money for babies born between 2025 and 2028, plus any other contributions, will track the performance of the stock market. Trump hopes contributions like Michael and Susan Dell’s will inspire other donations from businesses and philanthropists.
Account holders generally won't have access to spend the money until the child turns 18, at which point it will function like an individual retirement account (IRA). But families can add to the accounts long before then. Employers can also contribute up to $2,500 per year, subject to the overall $5,000 annual contribution limit, and children can qualify for philanthropic contributions that are automatically deposited into their accounts, according to the rules.
The White House on Oct. 7 said more than 70 companies have already committed to Trump Account contributions for their employees.
Contributing: Kinsey Crowley, Daniel de Visé / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump praises Susan Dell as she backs Trump Accounts
