TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Announces New Child Savings Accounts for Americans, 12.2.25
TRANSCRIPT: Trump Announces New Child Savings Accounts for Americans, 12.2.25
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President Trump: Nice to see you again. It's been a -- that was a long news conference we had before, wasn't it? But it was a good one. OK. Well, thank you very much and we're thrilled to be joined by one of the most successful business leaders and people anywhere in the country, whether it's technology -- no matter what business you're talking about, there's really nobody quite like him. He's chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, make great everything, great computers, great everything, Michael Dell, and very much of a legend who is here with his really exciting announcement. It's so amazing. And much -- much more importantly, he's here with his wonderful wife, Susan, and they have a special relationship. I think I can say that, really. It's very nice. I don't see too much of it. I see the opposite, but I don't see too much. They have a special -- two special people and I've seen that. I've known that for a long time and I think it's a tremendous thing. Also, the CEO of Altimeter Capital, Brad Gerstner. Where are you, Brad?
Brad Gerstner: Right here.
Trump: Brad, Brad? Brad Gerstner is a terrific fellow who's very much involved in this incredible thing that we're doing today, along with the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson; Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Science and Transportation, Ted Cruz; House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Jason Smith; Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, Blake Moore; as well as the Chief Design Officer of the United States, Airbnb co-founder, Joe Gebbia. I want to thank you all for being here. It's a great group. And I guess a potential fed chair is here too. I don't know, are we allowed to say that, potential. He's a respected person that I can tell you. Thank you, Kevin.
Today is giving Tuesday. I don't know if anybody has heard that one before, but it is indeed giving Tuesday, one of the biggest days of the year for philanthropy and charitable giving. And this afternoon, Michael and Susan Dell are committing to one of the largest private donations in American history, which will directly benefit the next generation of American children through the new Trump Accounts program that we created in our One Big, Beautiful Bill. And Michael and Susan came to see me along with Brad and they said, you know, this is an idea and I said, I -- I think -- you know, it sounded so good and so unique, but that's why he's been so successful and they've been so successful in life and in business, because they're unique.
Trump accounts will be the first, I guess you could say real trust funds for every American child, allowing family members, employers, corporations, generous donors to contribute money that will be invested and grow over the course of a child's life to be used for their benefit after they turn 18. So in other words, these are children that are going to -- an investment is going to be made. That investment is going to continue to grow. We hope, right? We hope. And -- but it will, and they'll be -- they'll feel like -- they'll feel like Michael Dell someday. But at 18, they'll have a lot of money, a lot more money than they would have had. And potentially, a lot of money, but these accounts will track the overall stock market and will be 100 percent private property controlled by the child's guardians.
In honor of America's 250th anniversary, the Dells are announcing today that they are giving $25 million American children, $250 each to save and to invest in their personal Trump account. Now, that's the equivalent of $6.25 billion. In other words, to put it succinctly, Michael and Susan are giving $6,250,000,000 in total and as a total contribution. That's big stuff. I don't care who you are. That's become -- give me a hand and let me have a little of that luck rub off on me. That's fantastic, Susan. These gifts will be available to the first 25 million children aged 10 and under the sign the zip codes where their median income is $150,000 or less. So they're giving them to children that won't be born, particularly rich and they're going to be hopefully very rich someday. This will give millions of dollars, 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.
It really gives them a shot at the American dream. Michael and Susan, I want to thank you for this extraordinary act of kindness and patriotism and charity. This is truly one of the most generous acts in the history of our country. I mean, you just don't -- you don't hear about things like that and we 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 got to let them know about it. As I mentioned, this gift is being made possible by the largest tax cuts in American history, which our Republican majorities passed earlier this year. And the speaker worked so hard and John Thune and Jason and all of them, every one of them, Ted.
Ted Cruz is with us. He worked so hard getting that done. That was the biggest, most consequential bill they say ever passed. And you know, if they remember, Michael, we were -- they thought we had to put that in 12 to 14 bills. I said, I don't know if we can hold it that long with the Democrats and we said let's try doing it once and we did and people were surprised, but we got it done. So I congratulate you guys, amazing job. Under that bill, the federal government will also automatically be making a one-time seed contribution of $1,000 into the tax deferred Trump accounts for every newborn US citizen, fulfilling a promise I made in the 2024 campaign. Trump accounts should grow to be worth many thousands of dollars by the time the child is 18 and even more by the time they are 20 or even 30 years old. We think it's going to be something really unique and really special. 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. I think we're going to have a lot of people.
Susan, I think a lot of people are going to be a contribute -- a lot of people are watching us right now. They might not be $6 billion plus, but they'll be a lot. There aren't too many people that are in the $6 billion range, but there'll be a lot. A lot of friends of mine have already told me they're going to contribute a lot of money. A lot of them are going to leave a lot of money in their wills, so that's very important. And as you watch us today, I hope you'll be doing that. 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. It's 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. So the Trump accounts will be available starting on July 4th next year. And Michael and Susan to you again, it's an amazing act of just incredible everything. I mean, the life you've led to be able to do this, even to be able to even -- a lot of people have a good heart, but they can't give $6,250,000,000. And Michael, probably knowing you, it's not the last of it either, it's not the last. But on behalf of the United States of America, I want to thank you both. And I want to thank all three, but I want to thank you both because you've been friends of mine and it's a spectacular couple. This is really an amazing -- an amazing people. These are unique. And I'd like to have you come up and say a couple of words and tell us what you have in mind, because what you have in mind is good. Thank you very much, Michael. Thank you very much.
Michael Dell: Thank you, sir.
Trump: Thank you [Inaudible]
Michael Dell: Thank you, Mr. President. It's a great honor to be with you here in the White House. And you know, when you passed the Invest America Act on July 4th of this year, we were really inspired to see that happen. And this is something that, you know, Brad had first mentioned to us in 2021. We thought it was a great idea then and it's amazing that it happened. And we also saw that this act would become a platform. And you know, we believe the smartest investment that we can make is an investment in children. 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. And Susan and I are super excited to announce our $ 6.25 billion gift to 25 million American children, 10 and under. And our gift will cover most of the children that are 10 and under that are not part of the federal program, the 0 to 2 year olds, and who also live in zip codes where the median income is $150,000 or less.
And I have spoken with a number of other wealthy Americans, philanthropists, and we are confident that others will join us because we all understand the incredible impact that a gift like this can have on the lives of young Americans. So again, it's a great honor for us to be here to be able to announce this. You know, when I was eight 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'd 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. So again, thank you for the privilege of being here.
Trump: Thank you, Michael. Thank you, Susan. So beautiful, thank you very much. Susan, would you like to say something?
Susan Dell: I'd just like to say how excited we are to be a part of this. We believe that when children have a future that they can see is worth saving for, then that will help build hope and opportunity and prosperity for generations to come. So we're so excited to be doing this and hope to have many people join in our efforts. Thank you so much.
Trump: Thank you, Susan. So beautiful. Brad, would you like to say something? Thank you, Susan.
Gerstner: Well, first, it's an incredible honor to be here and we wouldn't be here without the passage of the Invest America Act and everybody on -- up here today played a role in getting that done. The speaker, Ted Cruz, in drafting the legislation so that when the president placed the call to the speaker and said, let's make this happen in the Big, Beautiful Bill, Congress was ready to act. They had the legislation drafted. But I couldn't be more grateful for the friendship and the partnership of the Dells, that really show the best of America. Today is Giving Tuesday, right? And the fact of the matter is for decades, we've talked about the wealth gap. We've talked about too many people left out and left behind. This president was elected on a Main Street agenda to get the rest of America into the game and that's exactly what this does. It gets every American child, 3.7 million children born every year will now start life off with an investment account seeded with $1,000. And then you're going to have great philanthropists, great Americans like Michael and Susan, who are going to add money to those accounts.
We're going to be -- we're overwhelmed with the number of companies that want to contribute to these accounts, already companies from Uber to Nvidia, T-Mobile to Charter Communications, Dell, etc., the list goes on. And every day more companies are calling us, raising their hands and saying we want to be part of this. It's like a 401-K from birth. It's a benefit for the kids of our employees, right, major philanthropists. But I think what this is going to unlock is the power of families, moms and dads, Venmo and Apple paying and $5, $10, right, and getting these kids into the game. When we had the roundtable at the White House earlier this year, Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber said, you know, after fleeing Iran at the age of nine with nothing, he came to America because it was the land of hope.
And he said what the Invest America Act does is it bottles up hope for every child in America, whether you're in rural Mississippi or rural Indiana, where I came from, inner city Trenton or Compton, you're now in the game, right? That act alone, I think, reinvigorates the American dream. It reinvigorates the idea of free market capitalism. Too many people are losing faith in you, sir. By passing the Invest America Act and getting all these kids into the game, this is a transformational act in this country for evermore every child starts off life in the game with a piece of the American dream compounding in the upside of America. So, thank you for having us here.
Trump: Mr. Speaker.
Mike Johnson: I think the Secretary first, I defer to the brains.
Scott Bessent: Good afternoon, everyone. And I think this is a major change in philanthropy and for American working families. It is the merging of President Trump's agenda of parallel prosperity; Main Street meets Wall Street. For the next five years, every child born in the US will get a $1,000 Trump account that will be with them and compound for the next 18 years. Treasury Department with other branches of government is going to do financial literacy, and we are going to make sure that all American families have a stake in the success of the United States of America. So, every day when the stock market goes up or down, and we believe over the 18 years it will go up and families will learn the power of compounding, that it will be a game changer. People who have a stake in the system and become more and more vested in the system, they do not want to bring down the system. They want to make it better. So, I think we will look back on today and know that these Trump accounts, they have started a new age of capitalism and market interest for the whole country.
I also think that it is a game changer as we're seeing with Michael and Susan Dell today, that Americans are the most generous people in the history of the world. And the Trump accounts will provide a vehicle for philanthropists such as Michael and Susan and many more to contribute. And at Treasury we are working, so Michael and Susan want to do it for children born in the past 10 years, a certain income level.
As Brad said, it can be tailored, it can be to employees, it could be a philanthropist could adopt a state, they can adopt a school, they can adopt a zip code, they can adopt a street. And so, we will constantly see these accounts be topped up. For those of you on the Treasury, we'll be running this on the operational side. For those of you who would like to, you can go to TrumpAccounts.gov today and see the home page that has a basic outline. These will become operational on July 5th of this year, and we will have families start signing up for them. So -- and that home page will answer all the questions on eligibility and investments. And then finally, today we're here on Giving Tuesday, Michael and Susan have led the way. But I think that there's a chance that every Tuesday can become giving Tuesday as more and more philanthropists see the power of this, of giving to American families, giving to American children and giving everyone a stake in our great economy. So, thank you very much.
Johnson: I'll be brief. There's a lot of symbolism here today right here on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest nation in the history of the world. We are the greatest nation by any objective measure. We're the most free, most powerful, most successful and most benevolent nation that's ever been. And I think what you're seeing here is another exhibit of that. This idea, this vision came about because Brad and a couple of smart guys came up with this idea and then took a few years to sell the idea to everybody. And then these visionary legislators over here, Senator Ted Cruz and Blake Moore in the House and Jason Smith, the Ways and Means chair, really caught the vision. And we put it into the Big, Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cut. We've been saying all along that was drafted to really help lower- and middle-class earners in America. And this is one of the great features -- one of the perils of having the Big, Beautiful Bill and having it all in there together the president and I have talked about many times is that there's so many great things in that legislation, we don't have enough time to talk about all of it. So, we need a moment to really focus on this.
Giving Tuesday is an appropriate -- a perfect time to do it. And it's absolutely perfect, I think, that July 5th becomes the operational date right after the nation's birthday. So, what we're going to see here is a model that I don't think anyone has done anywhere in the world. They wouldn't have the capability to do it. They wouldn't have philanthropists and great Americans with big hearts like this who've earned their way and really fulfilled the American dream, and they have a vision and a desire for more and more people to do that.
And so now, more and more Americans will. It kind of evens the playing field in a way, right? And everybody has an opportunity. So, we're just excited to be a part of it. Grateful to the vision, grateful to a president who leads from the front who understands the potential of something like this, and this will be one of the many marquee achievements of the Trump administration.
This will be one that people will remember for a long, long time and I think it can change the country. So, thanks, Mr. President. Thanks, Brad, all of you for being a part. Thank you to the Dells, really amazing. Thank you. Sure.
Trump: Thank you. Ted, please.
Cruz: Well, I want to congratulate all the men and women up here. And Mr. President, I think objectively on the merits, the case can be made that there has never been a president who has had a greater positive impact on the children of America than you have. And in particular, in this One Big, Beautiful Bill, I think the two most long-lasting and far-reaching provisions are, number one, the school choice provision that you signed into law that is going to unleash tens of billions of dollars to scholarships to low income kids all over the country, and is going to change the lives of millions of kids. And the second provision is this provision right here, the Trump Accounts. These Trump Accounts, starting on July 4th, every child in America will have a personal investment account opened for them. Newborn children will have it seeded with $1,000. Parents and family and employers can contribute up to $5,000 a year in a tax-advantaged account.
That money will be invested in the S&P 500, in the stock market, broad-based equity index account. Two massive benefits that change this country. Number one, every child in America will experience the benefits of compound growth. Take a little girl born next year. She's born next year, she has the account opened for her, $1,000 is automatically seeded, her parents or family or an employer puts $5,000 a year each year into that account. If you assume the historic rate of growth of the S&P 500, which is 7 percent a year, by the time that little girl is 18, she will have $170,000 in that account. And if she keeps saving, by the time that little girl is 35, she will have $700,000 in that account.
That is game changing and we're not talking the children of Michael and Susan Dell, the children of Trump, the children of people of great success. We're talking the kids of a single mom waiting tables who could have $700,000 saved by the time she's 35 to get an education, to start a business, to buy a house. That changes their whole lives. But the second benefit and what I'm really excited about is we are creating a new generation of capitalists. Every child in America is going to be an owner of the biggest employers in this country.
We've all seen the sad statistics of how many kids are losing faith in capitalism. Well, 10 years from now, a little boy is going to pull out his phone and he's going to look at his app and he's going to see his Trump account. And instead of thinking of big, bad, scary corporations, that little boy is going to say I own 50 bucks of Apple; I own 100 bucks of Dell; I own 75 bucks of McDonald's. And every child is an owner of the biggest employers in this country. That will transform this country. Mr. President, thank you for signing it. Let me say, Brad -- this would not be a law if Brad Gerstner did not pursue it with absolute dogged determination, relentless -- I've gotten calls and texts from Brad at 6 a.m. and at 2 a.m. You may sleep less than the president, Brad, and that is a remarkable thing because I don't think he sleeps at all.
And finally, I'll just say to Michael and Susan, incredible Texans, $6.25 billion is extraordinarily generous. Let me say on behalf of 25 million kids who just got a gift from Michael and Susan, and it's not a gift of a video game, it's not a gift of a bicycle, it's an investment in their future. That changes their lives. And I hope and believe Michael and Susan are going to inspire millions across the country to do the same thing. When Congress passed Section 401(k) of ERISA, I don't know that anyone realized how much it would change retirement plans. There's now trillions of dollars in 401(k) plans. There are going to be trillions of dollars in these. These are 401-Ks for kids. And Mr. President, these Trump accounts exist because you signed them. Thank you for your leadership. It's an honor to work with you.
Trump: Thank you very much, Ted. Jason, if you would, just say a couple of words, and Blake come on up for a second.
Jason Smith: Perfect. Thank you. First, I would just want to thank Michael and Susan for the kind gift. What you all have done will be transformational for 25 million kids. And a lot of people we can thank for the provisions in this Big, Beautiful Bill, but there is no one to think greater than President Trump. And I'll tell you this, out of every executive I've ever worked with, there's no one that's been more engaging, no one that has been more involved. And the only reason why these investment accounts are in the Big, Beautiful Bill is because he helped convince other members of Congress that this is a good idea. This has been something that has been discussed for a long time, but no one could ever get it passed. But who helped get it passed was Trump:. I can tell you that from day one throughout the process and so that's going to affect millions, millions of kids in their futures.
Trump: Thank you. Blake, please.
Blake Moore: Thank you. I was not planning or prepared to speak today, but the gravity of the situation is not lost on me. I have four boys of my own, 13 and under and on the heels of a $6 billion announcement, I hope that that doesn't go without some major headlines, that I will be making an announcement of my own, that I will be contributing $60 to each one of my children's accounts today.mActually, to try to bring some levity to that, every parent, every grandpa and grandma can now look and say, I can get my grandkid this little toy or something, maybe that's going to continue to happen, but there is a new option and another way for them to be able to invest and have a lasting legacy. And as a dad of four kids, seeing kids in our neighborhood, them to have that opportunity is something that not every day in Congress, as I've joked with my colleagues, is the most productive day in my career.
But to be able to be a part of something like this is -- it makes everything worthwhile. I'm away from my kids a ton in this job and being able to be a part of something like this, a small part that I played, is something that is transformational and I'll be able to look back on this and be so grateful for this opportunity that I've had to be able to serve in Congress.
Trump: Thank you.
Moore: Thank you so much. I appreciate the chance to be here.
Trump: Thank you very much.
Susan Dell: Thank you.
Trump: Would anybody have a question, Michael, Susan?
Question: Yes.
Trump: Brad. Please.
Question: Yeah, for two -- one for you two, if you could. Did either of you say you're donating how much? First off. And for you, Mr. President, is there an educational value to this in terms of not just the money in the account, what can kids learn in this account?
Trump: Well, I think they can learn a little bit about the free enterprise system, about -- they can really learn a lot about how life works, how business works. They want to go out and make a living for themselves because maybe it's going to be a lot more than we think or maybe it's not going to be quite as much as we think, depending on what happens with the world and the market. We'll try and do very well in that regard too, but there's a lot of learning to be done and I think this is a big step forward.
Question: And your reaction? Did either of you say you're donating how much?
Michael Dell: We already said, it's $6.25 billion.
Susan Dell: No, no, no.
Question: No, I mean, what's the reaction between the two of you, someone came up with the idea?
Michael Dell: Oh, sure. Oh, well, so we kind of started with a smaller amount, to be honest, and we started talking about Texas only at the beginning --
Susan Dell: And adopting the state of Texas.
Michael Dell: Right, right and then -- and we thought about it some more and we thought about --
Susan Dell: Got pretty excited about the idea.
Michael Dell: Yeah, and we went back and forth, as we do on these things, and we -- we ended up –
Susan Dell: Got more and more excited and next thing you know –
Michael Dell: This is where we ended up.
Susan Dell: The number kept climbing.
Michael Dell: But a lot of discussion and consideration over a long period of time to come to this, and we feel great about it.
Susan Dell: Yeah. I mean, we believe this is the greatest investment that we could possibly make is in children and we've been investing in children for over 26 years with our foundation. And --
Michael Dell: Yeah, and you know, there are 30 states already that require at least one semester of financial literacy and hopefully, all 50 states will do that.
Susan Dell: Yeah.
Michael Dell: And you know, as children begin to understand that they have these accounts, that creates a real need for our schools, our parents, our community organizations to really begin to grow financial literacy in the country, which can only be a good thing.
Mike Johnson: Great.
Trump: It's really an amazing moment that two people would do that kind of a contribution. I mean, it's just an amazing moment and it shows you there's a tremendous heart in great entrepreneurs. These are great entrepreneurs. They're both great entrepreneurs because he probably wouldn't have done it without you, to be honest. That's the way it often works. And I know this relationship so well. There could be a lot of truth to that. But it shows you that there's a big heart in some pretty tough people. He's a tough cookie, but he's got a very, very warm spot. And what you've done, I don't think -- it's going to be talked about for a long time. It won't be forgotten.
Michael Dell: Thank you, sir.
Question: May I ask a question?
Trump: Please, Jeff.
Question: Thank you, sir. My question is about the logistics or the administration of the program. You obviously want to help poorer children. How will you help families, perhaps, who don't have access to computers or internet at home to make this program a reality?
Trump: Well, Brad, you maybe want to answer that question?
Gerstner: Sure –
Question: And please, speak into the microphone if you don't mind.
Gerstner: Well, first, Treasury, as the Secretary talked about is going to be administering the program. And we should just say that Luke Pettit, the assistant Treasury secretary, has just done an extraordinary job with the Secretary in what I think will be the biggest consumer launch in the history of government. 60 million accounts are going to get created next year and these accounts -- these accounts are going to be, you know, promulgated. All parents are going to have to do is to claim the account. So if they have access to an Android phone or a public library to go to a computer and gain access, they can claim that account. And whether they claim it or not, the account is going to continue to compound. So they don't have a deadline by which they have to claim the account. There's time, right? And there's going to be a lot of resources. Think about this, kids in school. We're going to have schools engaged helping to tell them that they need to claim their accounts, to educate them, etc. We're going to run a big public campaign around this. So we're just getting started.
Today is day one. This is an extraordinary contribution, but it's the beginning of a drumbeat you're going to hear for the next six months leading up to the 250th anniversary of the country. I don't think there's anybody in the country who won't have heard about this by the time we get to July 4th of next year. And we're going to make sure, listen, we know that wealthy families have access to 529 accounts, right? This is an opportunity and the instruction was how do we get the 50 million other families into the game? This is the first time we've done that because we're auto creating these accounts for every child at birth. And so we're going to be very focused on making sure that every family entitled to get one of these accounts is able to claim it and get it. Daniel, do you have a question?
Question: Yes, sir. These programs seem to create an opportunity for parents to create unprecedented financial security for their children, sir. Do you believe that these accounts would be a big part of your legacy when everything goes down? We've heard talks about you being a legacy as a peacemaker, but this is a really, really big deal.
Trump: I do. Yeah, I appreciate that. I do think so and I think it's a big part of everybody up here today. This was a group that was very instrumental. And in particular, obviously, Michael and Susan, it's a big part of their legacy. You know, they've got a big legacy anyway, but this is maybe going to be as important or more important than anything they've done thus far. It's -- you know, looking back, in 100 years from now, I think you're going to see some things that are going to -- they'll be talking about this very day. So thank you for that question. Yes, please.
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. These accounts were originally discussed as a way to incentivize people to have more children. Are there any other policy proposals you're looking at like this to encourage the birth rate to increase?
Trump: Well, we are looking at programs. We're looking at -- there's a certain Australian plan that people are liking and they're talking about. You know what I mean. There's a plan where -- not for children necessarily, but for people, working people. And we are looking at other things different from this. I think this is very unique, but different from this, but very important. Yeah.
Question: [Inaudible] retirement savings --
Trump: Say it.
Question You mean the Australian retirement --
Trump: That's what we're talking about. Yeah, we're looking at it very seriously. It's a good plan. It's worked out very well. Yeah, please.
Question: Mr. President, can you talk about what tax benefits these accounts come with? The information that we just received said that when a child turns 18, they'll be treated like traditional IRAs and subject to a 10 percent withdrawal tax.
Trump: Please, Scott.
Question: But can you speak to when [Inaudible] when will children be able to access these accounts?
Bessent: Sure. They can access them when they're 18 or they can convert them to an IRA at that time. During the 18 years, parents or employers can donate with the tax deduction up to $5,000 into each account. And then philanthropists, like Michael and Susan, can add an unlimited amount to the accounts. So, $5,000 from an employer or families and then gifts from foundations and philanthropists can be an unlimited amount.
Question: Mr. President, you said that you've been talking to your wealthy friends as well as you, Mr. Dell, about contributing. Can you walk us through maybe who you've been talking to and how much more we can expect on top of what --
Trump: I think we probably would think I would be talking to, I have -- there's a group of people out there that have been very successful, and we've already started talking to them. You know, we're doing ballrooms, we're doing arcs, we're doing -- we have a thing that's being planned that's going to be a great tribute to the country, as you know, you've probably heard about it, the arc that we're looking at by the bridge by -- near Arlington is going to be something. We're doing some other things for Washington itself and for the country itself. But a lot of the people that have gone in and done a real job with that. The ballroom, I think, Michael and Susan, the next time we meet -- well, hopefully, we'll meet before then, but we're going to have a big event over in the ballroom to celebrate this.
We're building a ballroom that they've wanted at this beautiful White House for 150 years. They've wanted it so badly. Right now, we can hold 109 people, if you're lucky, in a room. It's a beautiful room, but it's 109 people. And we're building something -- you see the trucks in the back, and you see the clanging the banging. And when it's completed, it'll be one of the greatest ballrooms anywhere in the world. It's going to be amazing. So, people that were involved in that process, I have a lot of friends with a lot of success and every one of them -- I would be shocked if anyone turns us down. We're going to have a lot of big contributors, Jeff.
Question: On a separate topic, if I may, sir, you had a call with Brazil's President Lula today. Can you tell us what you discussed?
Trump: I did. Yeah, we had a great talk. We talked about trade, we talked about sanctions because, as you know, I sanctioned them having to do with certain things that took place. But we had a very good talk. I like him -- very good. We had some good meetings, as you know, but we had a very good talk today. Yes, I did.
Question: You also pardoned the former president of Honduras, and he was released from prison yesterday.
Trump: I did. Well, he was the president, and they had some drugs being sold in their country. And because he was the president, they went after him. That was a Biden horrible witch hunt, which was a lot of people in Honduras asked me to do that and I did it. I feel very good about it. If you have some drug dealers in your country and you're the president, you don't necessarily put the president in jail for 45 years.
Trump: That was a Biden inspired witch hunt.
Question: Did his letter impact your decision on that, sir, from Mr. Stone? Thank you so much, Mr. President. Your decisions -- decisions to Syria renew many hopes for the Syrian people. And now the minorities in Syria like Kurds, Christians and Jews, they want help them to have some sort of autonomy and their rights being protected in Syria.
Question: How do you feel --
Trump: Yeah, we're going to give them help. And I think Syria has come a long way. The new leader of Syria was here, as you know, three weeks ago and he was really into making that country -- bringing the country around. Not an easy job, not an easy job. It's centuries of problems. But I think he's going to do a great job. I mean, I have a lot of confidence in him. Yeah, please.
Note: [Crosstalk].
Question: Mr. President, in the broader context of the economy with these childhood investments, we just saw the biggest Black Friday in history, up 4.1 percent from last year, $26 billion covered, told me about that. We also saw that they just spent $1 trillion on Christmas this year $1 trillion, increasing 4.1 percent, 25 states gas is below $3, a handful below $2.50 and getting better.
Question: Energy policy matters --
Trump: I like this guy. [Laughter] Who are you with?
Question: Real America's Voice.
Trump: That's what I heard. I like you very much. Keep talking.
Question: So, if you invest in these children now, the economy -- the better the economy is, the better for the children, right?
Trump: Right.
Question: That's a pretty good spot right there.
Trump: Well, I do and I appreciate it. No, we have an amazing thing going. We have over -- almost $20 trillion of investment coming in. I don't even know if you know that -- $20 trillion, that's a lot by any standard, right? But Biden as an example, I say this, his administration over a four-year period had much less than $1 trillion. And we have -- we're up to 18, I guess right now, Scott, about $18 trillion in 10 months. And there's never been a country. China -- no country has ever done anything even close to that. Even if you figure 20 percent of that, no country has done 20 percent. And it's because of tariffs and because every -- and I think because of November 5th, the election, the election day. But we have now under construction, I guarantee you're expanding a lot of your different places, right, Fidel? But we have places like that; we have car companies; we have AI coming in at levels -- nobody's ever seen anything like it. It's amazing. And this -- all of these places, hundreds and hundreds of plants, thousands.
They're going to be opening and they're going to be producing a lot of success, a lot of jobs. And I say it all the time. The king of Saudi Arabia said to me a year ago, he said one year ago your country was dead and now you've got the hottest country anywhere in the world and that's what we have. And it's one of the reasons Michael is able to do this. It's one of the reasons I'm able to be here and having really run a very successful campaign. We won all seven swing states. We won the popular vote by millions. We won the districts -- I'll tell you; the district vote is the most impressive 2,750 compared to 550. That's some difference. And we just had a -- you know, we just had a tremendous election and a tremendous vote of confidence. And thank you very much for that question. Thank you.
Note: [Crosstalk].
Question: Will you make a deal with Democrats?
Note: [Crosstalk].
Question: Will you make a deal with Democrats on ACA subsidies?
Trump: I liked ending with that question.
Question: Expanded travel ban, Mr. President?